Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 708 Testing the Knife
When Chen Zhuoguang's caravan found Shi Han, Shi Han's tribe had already built some crude siege equipment.

Shi Han felt helpless when he saw Chen Zhuoguang.

According to Shi Han's idea, it would be better to kill Yang Zheng's confidant like Chen Zhuoguang.

However, Chen Zhuoguang arrived with a convoy and several hundred people.

All the soldiers of the three armies saw it.

If something happened to Chen Zhuoguang and his group under such circumstances, Shi Han would inevitably be exposed.

Therefore, Shi Han could only give up his intention to kill Chen Zhuoguang and welcome them into the military camp.

"Secretary Chen, Major General, I have already secretly contacted several of Pan Hongyue's generals."

Shi Han asked the two to sit down in the tent and informed them of the important news.

"Tonight at three o'clock, they will quietly open the city and lead our army in. We will work together from inside and outside to recapture Nanzheng, capture the Marshal's Mansion, and avenge the Grand Commandant."

Shi Han looked righteous.

Chen Zhuoguang looked bleak, and nodded slightly, saying, "Everything is in the hands of Shi."

Chen Zhuoguang was aware of the conflict between Shi Han and Yang Zheng over joining the Wu family army, but he was not sure that the Nanzheng Rebellion was Shi Han's doing.

Besides, the commander-in-chief is already dead.

Even if there are doubts, he still has to rely on generals like Shi Han to stabilize the situation, and he cannot create any more trouble.

The sadness over the sudden death of his confidant and the confusion about his own future made Chen Zhuoguang, the usually alert, meticulous and experienced secretary, look listless and uninterested at the moment. He had no intention of planning anything.

Shi Han sneered secretly, then smiled and said, "Secretary Chen, just rest and recover in the camp.

Pan Hongyue's actions are perverse and unpopular, and his rebellion will not last long."

Yang Shou gritted his teeth and said, "Grandpa Shi, Shou'er will go to the city with you tonight. I want to kill Pan Hongyue with my own hands to avenge my grandfather."

Chen Zhuoguang's expression changed, and he scolded: "Nonsense, what role can you play in such a big event? You stay with me in the army."

"I'm going!"

Yang Shou's eyes turned red as he stared at Shi Han: "Grandpa Shi, I want to avenge you with my own hands."

Shi Han patted Yang Shou's shoulder gently, feeling mixed emotions.

As Yang Zheng's deputies, the two have fought side by side for decades and are comrades and brothers that Yang Zheng can trust his back to.

But now, the two have parted ways and are drifting further and further apart.

Yang Zheng attempted to murder him, so he had no choice but to fight back and kill Yang Zheng.

He watched Yang Shou grow up.

He and Yang Zheng are brothers. The child has called him "Grandpa Shi" since he was young, but...

The death of your biological grandfather was caused by your grandfather.

"Secretary Chen, then... let him follow."

Shi Han sighed and looked at Chen Zhuoguang: "As long as Shi Han is alive, I will ensure that the young general is safe!"

Chen Zhuoguang looked at Yang Shou, then at Shi Han, opened his mouth, and finally just let out a long sigh: "Shou'er, be careful, and make sure to preserve this useful body."

……

"Little nun, the soldiers have been searching for a whole day but have found no news of me. Now the security has been relaxed. I plan to leave tonight in the dark."

At night, in the meditation room, Yang Yuan and Fan Qing were eating the vegetarian meal that the nun from the Galanyuan brought to Fan Qing.

People who practice martial arts have bigger appetites, so the food sent to Fan Qing was originally more, but it was not enough for two people.

Because he didn't want to arouse suspicion, Fan Qing didn't ask for more vegetarian food, so both of them could only eat half full.

Yang Yuan thought that the incident in the morning when Fan Qing accidentally grabbed the Panlong Stick would make their relationship very awkward.

However, when Fan Qing grabbed it and realized that he had misunderstood, he quickly retracted his hand.

Although she looked a little embarrassed, she didn't show any sign of being too self-conscious.

Looking at her innocent face, Yang Yuan knew that she was aware of the many physical differences between men and women, but she did not have the sense of shame that ordinary people should have because of the differences between men and women.

Because, in her understanding of life, there is no concept of this at all.

Her embarrassment was simply caused by her feeling that she was not knowledgeable enough and was showing weakness in front of others.

She had no idea how embarrassing it was for a young nun like her to behave like this.

A Zen disciple, after a lifetime of practice, ultimately seeks to abandon his own skin without a care in the world.

But Fanqing does not need to be cultivated.

She was like a clear spring in the mountains, without any impurities at all, and there was no such concept in her mind.

Fan Qing was so open and generous, and Yang Yuan felt much more at ease.

After a night and a day of rest, the wound has formed a shallow scab, and it will not break again as long as there is no strenuous exercise.

Yang Yuan really couldn't delay here any longer.

He was not sure whether Yang Shou and Chen Zhuoguang had arrived in Nanzheng City, nor was he sure how many accomplices Pan Hongyue had.

He didn't even know whether his guards were harmed after falling into Pan Hongyue's hands.

He must find out the situation in Nanzheng as soon as possible. If the situation in Nanzheng is irreversible, it will be too late to report to Lin'an.

Yang Yuan planned that if the generals of Nanzheng had already colluded with each other, he would go to Dingjun Mountain and transfer generals such as Han Jinxun to besiege Nanzheng City, and draw troops from Tongchuan Prefecture to join the crusade against Nanzheng.

It was difficult for him to walk during the day, so he had to leave tonight before dark.

Fan Qing felt that it was a very pleasant thing to be with this donor.

Her senior sister is already in her seventies, and her nephews are all in their fifties.

Among the young nuns in Fuhu Temple, the most senior ones are her disciples.

In front of this peer who was much older than them, they were extremely respectful and no one dared to joke with her.

But this donor is different.

Although he does not believe in Buddhism, the question "Who was I in the previous life, and who will I be in the next life" still bothers her.

But overall, it was a pleasure dealing with him.

So, with him by her side, Fan Qing enjoyed the vegetarian rice, which was neither salty nor bland and had little oil, very much.

Suddenly hearing that he was leaving, Fan Qing felt a little reluctant and the food no longer tasted delicious.

However, she also knew that she was a Buddhist nun, and it was impossible for her to have frequent interactions with a male donor.

Fan Qing put down his chopsticks, glanced at Yang Yuan, hid his reluctance, and asked calmly: "Do you want to leave Nanzheng, or go to the Taiwei Mansion to look for your enemies?"

Yang Yuan said seriously: "Thanks to the advice from the little nun, I have decided to let go of my obsession with killing and leave Nanzheng City."

Fan Qing was very happy to hear this, and suddenly felt that he had done a great deed.

So, she straightened her back even more and said solemnly, "I haven't thought of the answer to your question yet.

I will continue to think about it, and if we meet again in the future, I will tell you my answer. "

Yang Yuan clasped his hands together and said, "Very good, very good. I hope that I can have the opportunity to meet Master Fanqing again in the future."

Yang Yuan hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Yang Yuan, that dog official, has committed many injustices and must be punished by the law. Little nun is a nun, so she should not get involved in the karma of the world."

Is he caring about me?
Fan Qing could feel that this handsome young donor seemed to have some concern for her, or perhaps some worry about her.

As a result, Fan Qing also felt very happy and joyful.

She thought about it and decided to tell him a white lie to make him feel at ease.

So, Fan Qing said: "The Taiwei Mansion is heavily guarded, and it is difficult for me to take him to the mountains to practice.

I have decided to follow your advice and once the city ban is lifted, I will go to Pengzhou to find my brother and find out the truth."

Yang Yuan felt relieved and said with a smile, "Little Master, goodbye."

Yang Yuan stood up, bowed to Fan Qing again, and turned to walk towards the door.

Fan Qing pursed his lips and suddenly asked, "What's your name, donor?"

Yang Yuan stopped suddenly.

Fan Qing took the initiative to tell him his Dharma name, but he was careless at the time and did not say his real name.

In fact, this is already a big disrespect in relationships.

Fortunately, Fan Qing rarely interacts with worldly people and is not aware of these things.

I didn't expect that when I was about to leave, she asked me my name.

Yang Yuan's mind raced, and when he turned around, he had another nonchalant smile on his face.

"My surname is Yuan, and my name is Sanyang."

"Yuan Sanyang?"

Fan Qing nodded: "I remember it."

The Three Yangs are originally Taoist terms, which refer to the yang within yin, the yang within yang, and the yang within yin and yang.

Fan Qing had no doubts at all, and clasped his hands together and said, "I wish you a safe journey, benefactor Sanyang."

When Yang Yuan walked out of the meditation room, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse.

There is a bright moon above the treetops, clear and transparent.

Yang Yuan still walked the same way he came, stepping on the yellow leaves all over the ground and passing by the tall ginkgo tree.

He looked back and saw a solitary lamp in the meditation room of Wujiu Hall.

Yang Yuan turned around, walked through the woods from the grass planted with Houttuynia cordata, and arrived at the high yellow wall of the temple.

Tonight is the day when several generals under Pan Hongyue's command will work together with Shi Han, Liu Ruxi and Zhou Wuyi to capture the city and kill the traitor Pan Hongyue.

By doing so, Pan Hongyue's subordinates can redeem themselves to the greatest extent and avoid further punishment.

In the end, Pan Hongyue will be the only one to bear everything.

Pan Hongyue did not tell his family the truth of the matter.

Even if Shi Han and others tried their best to protect them, his family always had to suffer some hardships and grievances.

If they knew the truth, perhaps they would be unable to help but speak out.

But doing so would be of no benefit except to drag more people into the water.

Since he was the one who won the lottery, he will bear the responsibility alone.

He believed in the promises made to him by his three comrades-in-arms Shi Han, Liu Ruxi and Zhou Wuyi.

He ordered a table full of delicious dishes and a jar of good wine, and sat alone in the room, eating big mouthfuls of meat and drinking big bowls of wine.

When he was seven-tenths drunk, he threw the wine bowl down, slung his knife over his shoulder, and staggered into the yard.

"Commander Pan..."

The guards outside the door stood solemnly and saluted, but Pan Hongyue ignored them and walked to the center of the parade ground.

The moon is bright in the sky, the ground is covered with light frost, and the autumn wind blows, making me feel completely relaxed and comfortable.

Pan Hongyue couldn't help but tug at his collar, opening his chest a little wider to let the evening breeze in.

He raised his head unsteadily and looked at the moon in the sky.

The moon is above the willow trees. It’s time for Brother Shi and his men to “capture the city”, right?
Under the moonlight, a figure as light as a raccoon monkey quietly sneaked towards the Taiwei Mansion.

……

Pan Hongyue was looking at the moon. A gust of wind blew and he suddenly heard the faint sound of fighting.

A smile couldn't help but appear at the corner of his lips.

When they were old, they should have gone into the city.

Pan Hongyue took a deep breath and suddenly shouted, "Come on, beat the drum!" Next to the martial arts field, there was a drum stand with a big drum on it.

The infantry drum is a rhythmic drum sound that soldiers follow as they march in formation.

It controls the speed at which soldiers engage the enemy, allowing them to save energy as much as possible and maintain formation.

One of Pan Hongyue's guards immediately strode over, picked up the drumstick, and started beating the drum rhythmically.

Pan Hongyue drew his sword, and his originally shaky body suddenly straightened up, and his originally blurry eyes suddenly became clear.

He held the knife in his hand and walked towards the school martial arts field step by step.

When he took the tenth step, he had walked to the center of the parade ground following the sound of drums. Suddenly, he grasped the knife with both hands and chopped it fiercely.

The wind from the knife rose up, as if there was an invisible enemy in front of him, fighting him desperately.

Pan Hongyue's knife skills are very simple, without any colorful and elegant tricks, just simple straight chopping, diagonal chopping, horizontal cutting, dragging the knife...

But every strike of the sword showed great skill and was by no means fancy moves.

As he chopped out with his sword, he was like an old soldier on the battlefield, riding a tired old horse, wearing tattered armor, holding a long sword full of gaps, his robe stained with blood, but still fighting to the death.

"After receiving the order, the general will take charge of the expedition, reward the troops in the field, and issue orders. Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed."

Pan Hongyue chopped with his sword, like a tiger out of a cage, shouting and roaring for his life among thousands of troops.

"If you don't advance when you hear the drum, kill you! If you don't stop when you hear the gong, kill you! If you can't raise the flag, kill you! If you don't lower the flag, kill you!"

With his shouts, the sword seemed to carry with it an infinite murderous aura. In such a large training ground, although there was only one person brandishing the sword under the moonlight, he created the momentum of thousands of troops.

"Take someone's head and claim it as your own achievement, kill! Slyly speak with a sharp tongue, fight for right and wrong, kill! Fight at night, be lazy and unmotivated, kill!"

Yang Yuan's figure suddenly fell from a high place and landed on the edge of the training ground.

Several of Pan Hongyue's personal soldiers immediately drew their swords and rushed forward.

"Get out!"

Pan Hongyue shouted loudly, and several of his personal soldiers suddenly stopped and slowly retreated.

Pan Hongyue saw that it was Yang Yuan and couldn't help but grin: "Doctor Yang."

Yang Yuan's ears and eyes were sharper than Pan Hongyue's. He had already heard the shouting and screaming coming from the four cities, and he knew that great changes had taken place in the city.

However, since the army was moving at night, he would not be able to influence anything if he rushed there, so it would be better for him to rush to the Taiwei Mansion first.

Although Yang Zheng was killed, the lives or deaths of Yang Fu and Yang Lushang are unknown. If they were still alive, they might be able to lend a helping hand.

Unexpectedly, when he arrived at the training ground, he saw a man dancing with a sword under the moon.

This person was actually Pan Hongyue, who killed General Yang and occupied the General's Mansion.

Pan Hongyue, the first commander of the imperial army’s infantry stationed in Xingyuan Prefecture.

There was a sudden change in the city. Why did the rebel leader do nothing and instead brandish a sword under the moonlight?

Could it be because he hasn't heard it yet?

A doubt suddenly crept into Yang Yuan's mind.

"Doctor Yang!"

Pan Hongyue continued to laugh and gave Yang Yuan a thumbs up: "Doctor Yang, your literary talent is this, and your martial arts is also this.

Pan has all the elite soldiers, and he can't leave you alone, that's amazing."

Yang Yuan didn't say anything. If it were yesterday, he might have been more proud.

However, having just met a little nun who was even more amazing than he was, Doctor Yang felt that he was a little unworthy of the title "amazing".

Pan Hongyue held his knife horizontally and said, "I learned the sword techniques used in the military, which are designed to kill people. Doctor Yang, do you dare to fight me?"

After saying this, without waiting for Yang Yuan to answer, Pan Hongyue laughed to the sky, took a step forward, leaped over, held the knife in both hands, and chopped down Huashan suddenly.

Yang Yuan is not a mountain, but a breeze.

His swordsmanship had already become more and more elegant. Now that his left rib was injured, he held the sword with one hand, and his movements were even more light and elegant. How could he be willing to fight him head-on?

Pan Hongyue swung his sword three times in a row, each one of them cutting in the wind.

The two fought back and forth for seven or eight rounds. Yang Yuan turned quickly, as fast as a top.

With the force of his rapid turn, he pulled out the knife in his hand like a whip.

"puff!"

Pan Hongyue retreated hastily, but as if due to the effects of alcohol, he staggered and the sharp blade suddenly passed between his chest and abdomen, cutting open his abdomen.

Pan Hongyue took three steps back, his feet went soft, and the knife in his hand pierced into the hard soil of the training ground with a "snap". He knelt on one knee and then steady himself.

Blood gushed out of the abdomen, flowing out along with the internal organs.

Pan Hongsheng's eyes were trembling with pain, but he didn't cry out.

He took a deep breath and said loudly, "The method of infantry combat is to beat the drum once, and the infantry and cavalry will all be ready. Beat it again, and the horses will be mounted, and the infantry will all be stationed. Beat it three times, and then, they will march out..."

He hadn't finished speaking when he bowed his head and died.

……

At that time, Liu Ruxi and Zhou Wuyi, with the cooperation of Pan Hongyue's subordinates, quietly entered the city and quickly took over the city defense.

When they were quietly marching towards the Taiwei Mansion, they ran into soldiers patrolling in the city, and a street fight ensued.

Shi Han and others can persuade the generals under Pan Hongyue to cooperate internally and externally and open the city to surrender.

After all, Pan Hongyue's actions were purely revenge, and he broke with the Taiwei because of personal grudges.

Strictly speaking, he was neither rebelling nor defecting.

Therefore, he had neither a way out nor a way out.

It was a normal choice for his subordinates to judge the situation and accept the recruitment of generals from the imperial court. There was nothing to complain about.

But to say that the entire process of capturing the city was bloodless and no one died would be too abnormal.

So these night watchmen don't know the truth.

They are the victims used to prove everything is true.

Therefore, a bloodbath is inevitable on the streets.

However, this little bit of resistance from the troops was just like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Shi Han and his men were still advancing towards the Taiwei Mansion at a very fast speed.

"Yang Shou, slow down, slow down..."

Shi Han rode on his horse, anxiously calling Yang Shou's name.

Yang Shou held an iron hammer in each hand and walked as fast as the wind.

The enemies in front of him, even those who were fully armored, could not withstand a blow from his hammer. Yang Shou had gone crazy with killing.

Shi Han was very anxious when he saw him trying to break into the Taiwei Mansion.

There was no reason for Xiao Pan to just sit there and surrender. Once he entered the Taiwei Mansion, he had to put on another show.

Yang Shou was advancing alone, and it would be terrible if something went wrong.

Although Shi Han had to break up with his old boss Yang Zheng, he did not want to kill Yang Shou.

But when Yang Shou saw the familiar Taiwei Mansion right before his eyes, he could no longer hold back.

Holding two hammers, he rushed towards the gate of the Taiwei Mansion.

Yang Shou was just about to rush up the stone steps and force the door open, when the door opened with a loud bang.

Behind the vermilion lacquered gate, torches were brightly lit.

Two rows of guards knelt down to greet them.

At the end of the two rows of torches is the ceremonial gate.

A person stood still at the ceremonial gate.

Yang Shou thought that the man was Pan Hongyue, and for a moment, he was extremely jealous of each other as if they were enemies meeting each other.

He didn't care why the soldiers on both sides of the gate were kneeling, nor did he care whether there was an ambush in the courtyard. He roared and rushed towards the ceremonial gate.

When he got closer and saw the man on the steps clearly, Yang Shou was stunned and exclaimed, "Young uncle?"

Hearing Yang Shou's voice, two heads cautiously poked out from behind the ceremonial gate. When they saw that the person was indeed Yang Shou, they immediately showed joy on their faces.

"Shou'er (Second Brother)!"

Yang Fu and Yang Lu rushed out from behind the door, rushed to the steps, and hugged Yang Shou.

Yang Shou was speechless, and the two hammers in his hands smashed to the ground with a bang.

At this time, Shi Han and others had already rushed to the door. Seeing the strange scene in the yard, they were shocked and did not dare to step in.

Yang Yuan walked down the steps, walked around the family of three who were crying and holding their heads, and walked proudly between two rows of soldiers who were kneeling on one knee and holding torches high.

Behind him, thirty-six personal guards he brought from Tongchuan Prefecture followed one after another.

Yang Yuan walked to the vermilion lacquered gate.

When they saw that the person coming was Yang Yuan, Shi Han and others were shocked.

"Yang Fushuai? This, Pan Hongyue... where is that guy?"

Yang Yuan looked at Shi Han deeply and said, "Pan Hongyue has been killed by me. The guards in the palace knew that the situation was hopeless and surrendered."

After Shi Han heard this, his face showed a mixture of surprise and joy, and it was hard to tell.

After a moment of hesitation, he finally reacted and said in surprise: "General Yang Fu defeated the enemy with a single sword, which was very heroic."

Yang Yuan looked at him deeply. Shi Han was riding on the horse, his clothes and armor were not messy, and there was no drop of blood on his body. He was very calm when the city was broken.

Even the personal guards surrounding Shi Han were gasping for breath. It was obvious that they had "killed" their way into the city without encountering any decent resistance.

Yang Yuan's suspicion had risen from three or four points to eight or nine points.

He had a rough idea of ​​what was going on.

Yang Yuan said with a smile, "If it weren't for the clever tricks of the generals to capture the city, the sound of fighting would have caused panic in the Taiwei Mansion, and I might not have been able to subdue Pan Hongyue and his soldiers.

General Shi, you guys are really good at this and you work really hard."

Shi Han's heart skipped a beat. He felt that Yang Yuan's words were double entendres and were not good things.

Being able to persuade the "rebels" to surrender the city and successfully recapture Nanzheng was indeed a good tactic, and it deserves the title of "good tactic".

But, maybe it was because of his suspicion, he always felt that there was something else behind Yang Yuan's words.

Shi Han raised his eyes quickly and saw Yang Yuan's face under the lamp, half bright and half dark, as if smiling, and he was startled.

He understood that their tricks were likely to be seen through by the counselor.

It was just a quick thought, and Shi Han had made up his mind.

He jumped off his horse with one leg, wearing a suit of iron armor. He walked to the steps with a clang, knelt on one knee, saluted Yang Yuan with his fists clasped, and said in a deep voice:
"The Grand Commandant has been assassinated, Lizhong is in turmoil, and I, the general, am at a loss as to what to do.

The commander-in-chief is the emperor's envoy. From now on, how to pacify the situation in Lizhong will be entirely up to the commander-in-chief, and there will be no arguments! "

After saying that, Shi Han took off his helmet, placed it on his right knee, and lowered his head deeply.

He "killed" his way into the city without even showing any sign of breathlessness, but now there were traces of sweat on his temples.

Although he also knew that even if Yang Yuan saw through everything, he couldn't produce any evidence, he still felt fear instinctively.

Liu Ruxi and Zhou Wuyi didn't understand why Shi Han behaved like this.

But in terms of seniority, status, and wisdom, they are all convinced by Shihan.

Seeing Shi Han being so respectful, although they didn't understand why, they immediately got off their horses, walked quickly to his left and right, knelt down together, took off their helmets and bowed their heads.

The "surrendered generals" who had helped them enter the city and the generals who followed them in "attacking the city" all fell to their knees when they saw this.

PS: Two chapters in one. I have something to do tomorrow, so I’ll post both chapters together.

(End of this chapter)