Who among the gangsters wants to fall in love?

Chapter 384 Dark clouds over the city
In the Jinma Mountain area east of Kunming, the flags with the word "Xuanchili" fluttered in the wind, making rustling sounds. The endless military camps stretched out endlessly, with a solemn and murderous atmosphere.

Inside the general's tent, Han Yongliang, the commander of the Southwestern Army, was wearing a dark armor, holding a secret letter in his hand, his brows furrowed.

Han Yongliang is fifty years old this year. He is a martial arts expert and in his prime. He is a descendant of the founding military meritorious service. When he was a teenager, he was sent to the northern front to resist the Rong people by his family. He originally had three older brothers and two younger brothers in his family... All of them died at the hands of the Rong people, leaving him as the only one left.

He was the only Miao male left in the old Han family, so Emperor Jingzheng transferred him to the southwest to guard the border, but it was a sinecure. After all, only Nanzhao was worth guarding against in the southwest. However, Nanzhao was under the control of Jiuli and obviously had no intention of confronting Dali head-on.

He had a free time and was far away from the capital Jin. He did not intervene in the fight between the prince and Zhao Wumian last year. He was here now because he was ordered by the emperor a few months ago to prepare for the expedition to Nanzhao.

Han Yongliang had been idle in the southwest for half his life. When he received the order, he was eager to show his skills. He had been in the southwest for so many years and knew the military strength of Nanzhao inside and out. It could be said that he could win as long as he fought.

Now, after several months of preparation, food and supplies have been prepared, and the troops can be dispatched as long as the court gives the order. Unfortunately, after waiting for half a month, the military order did not come, but the news came that the emperor was bedridden.

With the emperor in bed, no one dared to give this order, and it would be inappropriate for Han Yongliang to send troops out at random.

But after summoning the brothers from the southwest here for intensive preparations for several months, now he suddenly tells the brothers to go back because the war cannot be fought... Not to mention the soldiers under his command, even Han Yongliang himself felt his face getting hot.

But it was impossible for him to ignore the imperial court for his own passion, so he could only send several letters to the court, asking them to give a definite answer as to whether to fight the war or not.

As a result, he did not receive a reply from the court, but instead received a secret letter from a secret agent in the Detective Department.

This secret letter was naturally sent by Zhao Wumian yesterday.

Deputy General Han Yongliang stood beside him, and asked in surprise, "Why is Marquis Weiming in Nanzhao?"

"It is impossible for the emperor to be bedridden for no reason. There has been no news from the Marquis of Weiming in recent days. It may be related to this. The emperor has also been sending people to look for him..."

The deputy general laughed and said, "Isn't this just chasing after a husband..."

Han Yongliang glanced at him and said, "It is a capital crime to make irresponsible remarks about the emperor."

The deputy general quickly shut up.

Just from this we can know the relationship between the Emperor of Dali and Marquis Weiming. Even they have heard of it. Until now, the Emperor has not yet had a queen. Isn't it because of the Marquis?

These rough guys in the army couldn't understand the twists and turns involved. They just simply felt that the Emperor was very similar to the previous Emperor, Taizu Gaohuangdi... both were romantic men.

This is especially true of Han Yongliang, who is a veteran minister of three dynasties and has been to the palace many times. He can always see the shadows of the late emperor and Emperor Taizu Gao in Luo Chaoyan.

Han Yongliang read the secret letter in his hand again and again. The deputy general couldn't help but look at him a few times. Seeing that he didn't say anything for a long time, he couldn't help asking:
"What exactly does the Marquis want? My Lord, please take a breath."

"Marquis Weiming said in his letter that if we are fully prepared, we will move out immediately."

The deputy general's spirits suddenly lifted, and he was ready to rush out of the tent to inform his soldiers. However, he stopped after taking a few steps, looked back, and asked a very stupid question.

"Is this the order of the Marquis or the Emperor?"

Although the question is stupid, it cannot be ignored. It is related to whether they obey the emperor or the Marquis Weiming... No emperor would be happy to see his army obey others.

If they really listened to Marquis Weiming's words and sent troops, even if they won a series of great victories afterwards, the emperor would probably be suspicious and wary of Marquis Weiming, and might even "demote him" in the future.

Han Yongliang was also hesitant about this issue. Although the emperor and the marquis had a good relationship, things might change if they were involved in power. Han Yongliang couldn't say for sure whether this matter would create a rift between the emperor and the marquis.

The deputy general also knew the seriousness of the matter and dared not say much.

The atmosphere in the commander's tent was silent for a moment, until Han Yongliang suddenly spoke up, "Bring the imperial edict that the emperor personally gave me a month ago."

The imperial edict was written by the emperor himself and was less formal than the official imperial edict, but equally authoritative.

The imperial edict did not contain any military information, only a brief meaning.

When Marquis Wei Ming disappeared, people were secretly sent to the southwest to look for him, but they were careful not to make it public in order to avoid disrupting the morale of the Jin army.

Han Yongliang read the imperial edict again and again, then took a deep breath, went outside the commander's tent, and personally beat the drum to call people. After a few "dong dong" sounds of drums, the soldiers in the camp were grouped together in groups of five, with swords hanging from their waists, lined up in neat rows, and there was a hint of solemnity in the wind.

More than ten thousand people stood in the camp, but there was not even a trace of unusual noise. The military discipline was strict. It was obvious that Han Yongliang's men were all elite soldiers who had followed him for decades.

Han Yongliang stood straight on the stage, holding up the imperial edict, and spoke loudly:
"Marquis Weiming devoted himself to Dali, but he was ambushed by bandits more than a month ago and taken to Nanzhao. His life or death is unknown, and his whereabouts are unknown. The emperor personally issued an edict to rescue the marquis and bring him back to the capital at all costs!"

The deputy general immediately understood, and then shouted loudly:

"The Nanzhao has evil ambitions! Fortunately, the emperor had anticipated this and sent us here. Today, the emperor went to war with Nanzhao to save the Marquis. Tomorrow, he will also go to war for every one of us, the people of the Great Li! Save the Marquis!"

"Save the Marquis!" The soldiers shouted immediately, their voices like thunder out of the blue.

Han Yongliang nodded slightly, and with a clang, he drew his sword from its sheath and pointed it westward in the direction of Kunming.

"strike camp!"

"promise!"

Someone beat the war drums, accompanied by the sound of "dong dong dong". After months of preparation and having gathered strength, the Southwestern Army, led by Han Yongliang, marched straight to Kunming.

Kunming is the first pass between Nanzhao and Miaojiang.

There are five things in war: Tao, Heaven, Earth, Generals and Laws. Tao ranks first and its importance is self-evident... And when Wei Minghou was in Nanzhao, he already had the "Tao".

……

At noon, on the Kunming city wall, the Nanzhao defenders in armor patrolled back and forth with stern faces. Han Yongliang had been too aggressive in recent days, and Kunming was in a state of panic, with everyone feeling insecure.

The commander of Kunming stayed in the mansion with a few of his confidants. A map of Kunming's surroundings was placed on the table, and wine and food were placed on a small table next to it. Everyone was sitting at the table eating.

The defending commander was from the Jiuli tribe, otherwise Zhu Jiutian would not have given him this position. At this moment, he was talking with his confidant about the arsonist in Yongchang who had issued a declaration of war to the national teacher, and he was obviously treating it as a joke at the drinking table.

But before they had spoken a few words, the wine bowl on the table began to tremble slightly, and the wine spread out in ripples, and a faint rumbling sound could be heard in the distance.

The laughter and chatter of the people at the table suddenly stopped. Before they could go out to check the situation, a scout broke open the door and shouted:

"General! Wolf smoke! There is a thick wolf smoke in the east!"

The faces of several people in the field changed, and they hurriedly climbed up the city gate and looked into the distance. Several black smoke rose up from the east side and went straight into the sky.

Obviously, these were all set on fire by the outposts stationed by Nanzhao outside the city.

The areas around the city were required to be cleared of trees and fields, leaving no cover, in order to have a wide field of vision to prevent a sneak attack by the enemy. Therefore, the defenders used their Qinggong skills to stand at the top, where they could see a black line on the skyline, rolling up a large amount of dust, like a black tide.

When the defenders in the city saw this scene, they all turned pale and some even collapsed to the ground with their legs trembling.

Han Yongliang was certain that as long as he could start a war, he would win, but the Nanzhao side obviously knew better than Han Yongliang... They became a vassal state of Dali and were willing to be Dali's dogs, wasn't it because they could never win no matter how hard they tried?
At least Goguryeo had the Rong people to unite with and work together, but Nanzhao could only rely on itself.

The ordinary defenders had no idea why Dali suddenly sent out troops, but they knew very well that as long as the war broke out, no matter how long Kunming could be defended, they would definitely not survive. Some of them were so scared that they almost dropped their weapons and deserted.

Only the garrison commander knew that Dali was determined to break into Nanzhao and wipe out the Jiuli tribe, so he immediately shouted like a madman:

"Enemy attack!"

In the blink of an eye, it was sunset, the sky was full of red clouds, and the setting sun was as red as blood.

The news that Han Yongliang sent troops to Kunming to rescue Weiming Hou was quickly transmitted to Dali in an express train of 800 miles. The palace in the city was so shocked that there was a dead silence, followed by an uproar in the whole city.

Although there were early signs, when the Dali Dynasty really sent out troops, even the common people were confused... When was Marquis Weiming captured by them?
Ah? Are they so capable of capturing Wei Ming Hou?

They thought that this was just a mere excuse to start a war, but how could Nanzhao be a match for Dali? It would only take a few months for Dali to pass the Kunming Pass and head straight for Dali.

Zhao Wumian stood in front of the window, opened it, and looked down. Some people had already started packing their luggage and fled to the heart of Nanzhao. In a wartime place, whoever stays there will suffer.

The whole city was in visibly chaos, which surprised Zhao Wumian. He had not expected that Dali was such a terrifying existence in the eyes of these small countries.

Zi Yi sat by the window, his arms folded across his chest, looking interested, as if he could see what Zhao Wumian was thinking, and laughed a few times, saying:

"Most of the vassal states that are too far away have only heard of the name of the Celestial Empire, but the reason why these small neighboring countries are willing to be dogs of the imperial court is that they have been defeated one by one in the past."

Zhao Wumian withdrew his gaze. He couldn't help feeling happy when he thought that the emperor of the Celestial Empire, whom these people were so afraid of, was his little doctor.

He is just a playboy, who loves beauty more than the country, but the beauty owns the country...

At this moment, someone came flying over, stepped onto the eaves in front of the window, knelt on one knee towards Zhao Wumian, handed him a scroll of maps, and said respectfully:
"My Lord, when the Nanzhao Imperial Master heard that our army had moved out, he hurried down from Cangshan Mountain and led the King of Nanzhao to Dali to take charge of the situation. This is the topographic map between Cangshan Mountain and Dali. I wonder if my Lord wants to ambush us halfway or wait in Dali..."

Zhao Wumian took the map, spread it out to look at it for a few seconds, then raised his hand to take the Wuhen Knife handed to him by Luo Xiangzhu and slung it across his waist.

"Don't worry about this, I'll take care of it."

"promise."

After the secret agent left, Zhao Wumian looked at Zi Yi and Luo Xiangzhu, and after a few seconds of hesitation, he said, "Come with me. It's safest to stay with me."

The words were full of confidence, with the youthful vigor and vitality that is typical of young people.

Zi Yi was originally thinking about whether to take advantage of the chaos to sneak into the Imperial City and play the role of a thief. As far as she knew, Jiuli had many treasures hidden in the Imperial Palace. After hearing this, she gave up her desperate idea and turned to Luo Xiangzhu:

"If a fight breaks out later, little princess, don't stay too far away from me..."

After a few words, Zi Yi took out a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve and handed it to Zhao Wumian.
"Thanks to the poison you dug out from Cui Xiangwei, the Jiuli poison is now half done. If you take it now, you will be able to deal with Zhu Jiutian's poison skills with ease later."

"My current physical condition is not able to withstand Zhu Jiutian's poisonous skills?"

"Who knows? Zhu Jiutian hasn't taken action in the martial arts world for a long time. It's always a good idea to be on the safe side."

"This is only half of the Jiuli Gu. If I take it, it will be gone... won't it be wasted?"

"If you die, I will have nothing left. But if you win, gather the rest of the Jiuli Gu within two days, and I will mix it for you to take. It will still be effective."

"Two days." Zhao Wumian stroked the small porcelain bottle and smiled at her, "Tonight will do. No need for two days."

Zi Yi's heart beat faster, then he snorted coldly and said no more.

After a few words, the three of them packed up and rode out of the city.
Ta-da! Ta-da!

On the outskirts of Dali, a team of soldiers and horses were escorting the luxurious sedan chair along the official road.

There are golden ears of wheat on both sides and a setting sun hangs beyond the horizon, and the rosy glow makes the golden waves on both sides look a bit more bloody.

The guards on both sides are the masters of the Nanzhao Palace. There is also the national master inside Jiuli. It can be said that this is the safest place in the entire Nanzhao.

But even so, when the King of Nanzhao learned about this, he was distracted and his face turned pale. He couldn't help but whisper to the old ministers around him.

"Why did the Dali Dynasty send troops for no reason? They claimed that I had captured Wei Ming Hou. Isn't this slander? I have never even met Wei Ming Hou. I heard that the Emperor of Dali is a woman. Is she in her period? That's why she has a seizure. What good will it do for her to send troops to Nanzhao?"

"Alas, if you really want to send troops, what excuse can you not find? The Rong people are clearly still blocking the front lines in Jin, but I don't know what's wrong with the emperor of the Dali Dynasty, who suddenly wants to start a war on two fronts."

"I'm waiting for this, what are the chances of winning?"

"Don't worry, my king. The Imperial Master is still here. How could Hetuo get into trouble?"

After hearing this, the King of Nanzhao finally felt relieved. He lifted the curtain and looked at the man in red riding the horse in the front of the carriage.

The man in red carried no weapon and sat upright on his horse. He had a simple and elegant temperament, like a prince or nobleman, but his back was straight like a sharp blade piercing the sky. The sunset glow fell on him, as if he was wearing a blood-stained robe.

The King of Nanzhao asked: "The Imperial Master is so calm, but does he have a good plan?"

Zhu Jiutian is still a man of the world at heart. He doesn't care whether Nanzhao lives or dies. Whether Dali fights or not has nothing to do with him. The only person he cares about at this moment is Zhao Wumian.

He had gone to Cangshan before, ostensibly just to take the King of Nanzhao to worship heaven and earth, but in reality he had other preparations.

However, Zhu Jiutian did not want to give up Nanzhao so easily. He would be happy to see the situation succeed if he could mobilize some people and make the Dali Dynasty suffer heavy losses. So he said:
"As long as I live, Hetaku will live."

The words were simple and the voice was calm, but the domineering aura finally put the King of Nanzhao completely at ease.

He smiled and was about to speak, but a clear response came from the side of the official road.

"Really? What if you died today?"

The voice was neither loud nor soft, and the tone was calm, but it was heard by everyone.

Everyone was shocked, and there was a dead silence. Then the guards on both sides made a "clang" sound, suddenly drew their swords, and looked around vigilantly. Zhu Jiutian frowned slightly and looked over at the sound.

Whoosh————

There was dead silence all around except for the slightest sound of the wind. In the wheat field beside the official road, a wandering scholar, wearing a dark cloak and holding a bamboo hat, stood alone in the middle of the field.

The wheat is growing well, up to the waist.

The prodigal son was tall and slender, with his back to the setting sun. His face could not be seen clearly because of the backlight. Some wheat leaves were blown by the wind and brushed past his face, lifting a corner of his cloak, revealing the dark green robe under the cloak and a sword slung across his waist.

Zhu Jiutian recognized that horizontal sword... It was the sword worn by Emperor Jingzheng of the Dali Dynasty. He had used this sword to chop his way from Qin to the capital, quelling rebellions along the way and turning into a dragon to become the Emperor of Dali.

The person who came had bad intentions, so everyone remained silent and did not move. The guards stared at Zhao Wumian closely, with a look of surprise in their eyes.

Who on earth is so bold as to stop the carriage of the King of Nanzhao?

The wanderer said nothing. He raised his eyes slightly and looked at Zhu Jiutian who was sitting high on his horse. His cloak fluttered in the wind, making a rustling sound. The world was dead silent, with only him and his sword.

Zhu Jiutian's face was no different from what he remembered, a middle-aged man with a scholarly air.

Back then, he traveled thousands of miles to the Central Plains in a red robe and almost killed Jiu'er, and almost killed him as well.

Zhao Wumian remembered it very clearly. It happened in the fourth year of Jingzheng. In between, there was the three-year Jingnan Campaign. So Zhao Wumian was only thirteen years old that year. Although his martial arts were good, he had not yet reached the level of a celestial being, let alone the bridge that connects heaven and earth.

It was a rainy night, a late night.

Because the late emperor awarded Yangshe Congyun a plaque for being the best martial artist, he established the Qingliantian sect with Qingcheng Mountain as its base. This was the home of Zhao Wumian and Jiuer. At that time, the two were riding horses through the mountains and forests, rushing towards Qingcheng Mountain, thinking about how to drive Yangshe Congyun out of Qingcheng Mountain.

As a result, Zhu Jiutian suddenly emerged from the woods.

Two horses died, and Zhao Wumian was knocked unconscious by a slap. If it weren't for Jiu'er's protection, he would have turned into a ball of blood on the spot.

When he woke up, it was two days later...Since then, Jiuer often coughed and often vomited black blood.

Less than two years later, she disappeared without a trace.

If he's alive, he must be found; if he's dead, he must be found dead. From then on, Zhao Wumian no longer cared about Yangshe Congyun. He just searched the world for traces of Jiu'er and the whereabouts of Zhu Jiutian.

But at that time, Zhao Wumian obviously thought that Zhu Jiutian was in the Central Plains, and never thought that he actually ran to the remote small country of Nanzhao to become a national teacher.

He has been looking for him for fourteen years.

The inlaid gold Boshan furnace sent him here. Is there a trace of fate in this universe?
"You are here as expected... Xiao Yuankong." Zhu Jiutian sat high on his horse, looking down at the wanderer in the wheat field, a faint smile showing on his calm face.

"Fourteen years have passed, and your martial arts seem to have improved a lot. But it's a pity that you have been looking for me for fourteen years, but you never thought that I am not in the Central Plains? This is ridiculous."

Seeing the blood feud, Zhao Wumian was almost in no mood to think, and the anger in his heart was far greater than when Jiannan saw Ding Jingcheng.

You always have a chance to kill your enemies because you are still alive.

But what about the wine?

To this day, Zhao Wumian still doesn't know whether she is dead or alive.

Apart from the letter from Qingcheng Mountain, Jiuer did not leave him even the slightest clue.

He knew in his heart that Jiu'er might have died of loneliness, just as she was lonely and alone when she wandered the world.

Zhao Wumian started traveling around the world with Jiuer when he was two years old. He was obviously a burden to Jiuer, but Jiuer still took him around the world. Why?

Jiuer is not a person who likes loneliness.

She is most afraid of loneliness.

But she is often accompanied by loneliness.

click -

Thinking of this, Zhao Wumian stopped talking immediately. He pointed his finger upwards and flicked his hat. His long hair tied together behind his waist swayed in the wind, and the hat fluttered in the air.

Zhao Wumian asked: "Why don't you get off the horse?"

"you……"

Choke————

Zhu Jiutian had just uttered a word when an extremely sharp sound of swords being drawn suddenly rang out in the wheat field, causing everyone present to shudder and feel their scalps tingling.

In the sky full of rosy clouds, a cold light shaped like a half moon, like a silver dragon suddenly appearing, sweeping across the wheat field!

The guards only saw a flash of silver suddenly flashing out from the scabbard behind the waist of this wanderer, but they did not feel the blade approaching at all, so they waited to take a closer look.

The sword of this wandering scoundrel has not even been unsheathed!
Someone sneered, dismounted, drew his sword, and shouted, "Kill the assassin!"

But after he fell off the horse, he fell to the ground with a thud for some reason, as if he had lost his legs...

When he looked up, he saw that only half of the knife was left, and his lower body was still sitting on the horse, with blood spurting out of the broken end...

Whoosh————

A light breeze blew by under the setting sun, and a fan-shaped field of golden wheat appeared in front of the wanderer. The bamboo hat fluttering in the air, the guards sitting on the horse, the luxurious carriage, and the King of Nanzhao and the old minister in the carriage, all suddenly separated along the center line.

Pfft!
With the slight sound of a heavy object falling to the ground, the horses were frightened, neighed loudly, and fled in all directions.

Only half of the dozen guards who were still sitting on horseback fell to the side due to the bumps.

The official road, which seemed as pleasant as the beautiful countryside just now, was suddenly filled with blood and corpses.

The wheat fields in front of Zhao Wumian were all cut off, and the wheat ears swayed in the wind, like golden rain.

Zhu Jiutian, dressed in red, walked among the wheat ears. He stood in the wheat field with Zhao Wumian. He frowned and looked back at the King of Nanzhao who had been cut in half. He said in a cold voice:

"Once the King of Nanzhao dies, Hetuo will be in complete chaos... As the Marquis of Weiming, don't you know that it will be easier for the Dali Dynasty to appease Hetuo and stabilize the overall situation if the King of Nanzhao is alive? Are you crazy!?"

Zhao Wumian pressed the hilt of the knife and said softly:
"I am here now, and Nanzhao's affairs are in my hands. You are just a dying man, so why bother with me?"

This King of Nanzhao is Zhu Jiutian’s King of Nanzhao.

It’s not Zhao Wumian’s.

After the words were spoken, both of them stopped talking. There was nothing more to say.

The official road was covered with pools of blood, which then flowed along the gullies into the wheat fields.

The setting sun hung low in the sky, between the two people in the field.

The sky is full of blood.

------------

As usual, I'll finish writing the action scenes in one go tomorrow.

The double monthly ticket period is coming soon, I hope to get a monthly ticket.

Thank you!

(End of this chapter)