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Chapter 72 Nian Gengyao
Lin Jun had left the tent earlier and was waiting for Mo Qin.
"I've said everything I needed to say, so stop looking so gloomy."
Mo Qin shook his head helplessly: "There's really nothing I can do to stop them. I truly have the will but not the power."
Lin Jun didn't offer any words of comfort, but went straight to the point asking, "So what do you plan to do now?"
Mo Qin stroked his chin: "Gather more people; more people means more work!"
South of Pyongyang, near the abandoned post town close to the capital.
Rows of silent figures stood in the wind and snow.
There are approximately four thousand people.
These people are not a hastily assembled mob.
They come from the amusement park, which is the main force of this Qingliu Association!
There is a Zhangjing.
There is a Zuo Ling (a military officer).
It has a coating.
They are armored.
He had his own lackeys.
Some people should have been herding horses in the old camp outside the pass.
Some people were supposed to be escorting grain in the Northwest.
Some people should have died on the battlefield of another age.
But even here, they still only recognize one thing.
Where is the flag?
Where does the order come from?
Who is the master?
High up, a black flag was rolled up, not unfurled.
Yinzhen stood under the black flag.
The broken mark on his left eyebrow looked even colder in the snow.
A map was laid out in front of him.
Pyongyang, Kaesong, Wangjing, Byeokjegwan.
Several post roads, several mountain passes, and several treelines are all marked with thin black lines.
On the edge of the map, there is another thin line leading to an old post station.
After Konishi Yukinaga's defeat in Pyongyang, he had seen the people sent by Yinzhen on the way.
That person only gave Xiaoxi one sentence:
The Ming army will definitely pursue them.
Crisis, crisis, only in danger can there be opportunity!
Konishi Yukinaga understood all of this.
He was a businessman-like general.
I understand one thing best: genuine products are the perfect place to mix fakes with genuine ones.
They wanted to wait for the Ming army to catch up.
They waited for the Japanese army to use as bait to lure the Ming army to the vicinity of Byeokjegwan.
Then add that last cut.
A constable quickly stepped forward and knelt down.
"Your Highness."
Yinti did not look up.
"explain."
"The Kiku-gaku Society failed at the old post station."
"The short-gunner has been captured. Most of them have already been brought before Li Rusong."
Yinzhen remained expressionless.
"Where is the woman?"
"Already withdrawn."
"How many people were injured?"
"Two people."
Yinti gave a cold laugh.
"She's quite generous."
Zhang Jing lowered his head, not daring to reply.
Yinzhen looked at the old post station markings on the map.
"Li Rusong will become suspicious."
"Mochin will see through the plan."
"But they can't stop the inertia of history."
After a while, more guards came out of the snow and knelt outside the tent.
"Your Highness."
"What is it?"
The guard lowered his voice.
"Fourth Master's men have arrived."
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen's finger stopped on the map.
The officers in the tent all lowered their heads at the same time.
After a long pause, Yinzhen asked:
Which one?
Guardian Way:
"Nian Gengyao".
The wind and snow subsided.
Yinzhen smiled.
The smile was fake, devoid of any warmth.
"Fourth Brother is quite generous."
He raised his eyes and looked outside the tent.
"please."
The word "please" was spoken calmly.
Even the guards inside the tent could sense the displeasure emanating from within.
The curtain was lifted.
A little bit of the snow outside seeped in.
The visitor didn't speak immediately.
He paused at the door for a moment, wiping the snow off the soles of his boots before stepping into the tent.
He was in his forties, extremely tall, but not a burly man who grew horizontally.
He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a slender build, resembling a heavy sword hidden in its sheath.
The face is on the longer side, with slightly high cheekbones, and deep brow bones and eye sockets.
He had a short, neatly trimmed beard on his chin.
Beneath the dark cloak were modified dark blue scale armor plates, the plates pressed into the clothing so that they made almost no sound when he moved.
A long, willow-leaf-shaped dagger hung at his waist, its scabbard old but clean.
A short gun is hung on the left side, and a token is hung on the right side.
The most striking feature is his hands.
His fingers were long, his thumbs were thick, and his palms had calluses from writing brushes, knives, bows, and old marks from the reins.
That wasn't the hand of a mere martial artist.
It is a hand that can approve memorials to the emperor, and also a hand that can draw a knife and kill.
His eyes were small and half-closed, as if he had no energy.
But when they looked up, the officers in the tent unconsciously lowered their waists by half an inch.
His name is Nian Gengyao.
Year-end lighting project.
Before he stepped into this snow tent, long ago, there had been a night of snow.
December of the third year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign.
There were no military drums in the palace.
There was no main tent.
There are no official documents from the governors-general and governors of Sichuan and Shaanxi.
There is only one case.
Ninety-two major crimes were listed on the case.
There was a glass of wine next to him.
The news of Nian Fu's execution has arrived.
The imperial decree to exile the princes to the far frontier has also arrived.
Consort Nian is dead.
Even the last layer of consideration is gone.
Nian Gengyao stared at the glass of wine, not touching it for a long time.
He wasn't afraid of death.
He just couldn't figure it out.
It's not that he didn't do things for Fourth Master.
Pingxi (Tibet).
Pingqinghai.
They are stationed in Sichuan and Shaanxi.
He handled the most difficult military and national affairs for the Fourth Prince.
But the Fourth Prince became the Emperor.
He still regarded that emperor as the fourth prince in the prince's residence.
That was the real cause of his death.
He reached for the glass of wine.
Just as the rim of the cup touched his lips, the candlelight in the room suddenly went out.
A white light emerged from among the ninety-two charges on the case.
[High-value historical figure detected.]
[A talent with both military and political experience was detected.]
[Strong will to survive detected.]
[Park access has been granted.]
[Item activated.]
Should I continue living?
Nian Gengyao raised his eyes.
The figure that emerged from the white light was not Emperor Yongzheng in his dragon robe.
Instead, it refers to the Fourth Prince from the old princely residence.
He was thin, with tight brows and eyes as bright as red ink on a writing tablet.
Yinzhen looked at him.
"Nian Lianggong".
Nian Gengyao was still holding that cup of wine in his hand.
He stared straight at the person who came.
The young Yinzhen said:
"I came here using all the props, not because I wanted a smug Nian Gengyao."
"It's not General Nian who's stationed in Sichuan and Shaanxi either."
"I want you as you are now."
Nian Gengyao looked at him.
"Modern lackeys?"
Yinzhen said:
"Only those who have almost died know where to sheathe their knives."
"Those who achieve great merit are not necessarily good at fighting."
"Only those who achieve great merit but die young know what the price is."
Nian Gengyao looked down at the wine in his cup.
"Does the Emperor want his servants to live?"
Although he was still only the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen did not correct the way he was addressed.
He only said:
"live."
"The score isn't settled yet."
Nian Gengyao looked at him for a long time.
Finally, he put the wine glass back on the table.
"Yes, sir."
The next moment, white light engulfed the house in the snowy night.
It also swallowed the unfinished glass of wine.
The curtains fell.
Nian Gengyao looked up and glanced at the map first.
Without turning his head, he asked:
"How dry is the matchlock?"
A guard standing nearby was taken aback.
"My lord, sixty percent."
Nian Gengyao raised his eyes.
"Sixty percent?"
Zhang Jing's throat tightened.
Nian Gengyao's voice, though not angry, carried an imposing authority:
"The battle hasn't even started, and the fuse is already wet."
Who died?
No one answered from inside the tent.
Nian Gengyao said:
"The one who died was the messenger."
"Slap him in the face."
The guards stepped forward.
Snapped.
Snapped.
Two slaps landed.
The officer knelt there, not daring to utter a sound.
Nian Gengyao did not look at him again.
Only then did he bow his head to Yinzhen.
"Your humble servant Nian Gengyao greets Your Highness."
Yinzhen looked at him.
"Fourth Brother sent you here to help me, or to keep an eye on me?"
The people in the tent lowered their heads even further.
Nian Gengyao lowered his eyes.
"Fourth Master gave this servant eight words."
Yinzhen said:
"explain."
Nian Gengyao said:
"Help the fourteenth brother and kill Li Rusong."
Yinzhen narrowed his eyes.
"Fourteenth brother?"
Nian Gengyao said:
"Fourth Master's exact words."
Yinzhen suddenly laughed.
"You remember it clearly."
Nian Gengyao said:
"A lackey lives by memorizing military orders."
Yinzhen looked at him for a moment, then turned and pointed to the map.
"Konishi has already laid out the first layer in the direction of Byeokjegwan, as I had instructed."
"The Western woman from the Kiku-hidden Society also sent someone."
What do you think?
Nian Gengyao walked to the table and looked down at it for a while.
After a moment, he said:
"The outer layer is fine."
Yinzhen looked at him.
"Is it just possible?"
Nian Gengyao said:
"President Konishi used a genuine defeat to conceal a false path; the approach was correct."
"That woman killed the pond horse and didn't collect it overnight, so she wasn't wrong."
"But it was only enough to blind the Ming army."
"Not enough to kill Li Rusong."
The tent fell silent.
Yinzhen said:
"Do you want the whole scheme I'm devising?"
Nian Gengyao said:
"The old post station has been exposed."
"Tangma has been exposed."
"The fake guide has been exposed."
"The Ming army will change its codes, increase the number of chariots, and the vanguard will no longer be alone."
He pushed the diagram forward by half an inch.
"Using the same strategy again is tantamount to giving away credit."
Yinzhen's eyes turned cold.
"Nian Liangong, this is my scheme."
Nian Gengyao bowed his head.
"So this servant will dismantle it for Your Highness first."
The officer in the tent paled.
Yinzhen said:
"presumptuous."
Nian Gengyao said:
"If Your Highness wants to hear some nice words, this servant will kneel down now."
He looked up.
"If Your Highness wants Li Rusong dead, the old ways must be burned."
Yinzhen looked at him.
dislike.
From the moment Nian Gengyao stepped into this tent, he disliked it.
This man called himself a lackey, yet he showed no weakness whatsoever.
He bowed his head because of the Qing Dynasty's rules.
It's not because I'm afraid of myself.
But Yinzhen couldn't do without him.
Because this is Fourth Brother's man.
It was also because of this person surnamed Nian that he was able to turn a chaotic ambush into a military operation.
After a moment, Yinzhen said:
"Then tell me, how should we change it?"
Nian Gengyao reached out and pointed to the northern line of Wangjing.
"The Japanese cannot be considered as an army."
"They each have their own agendas."
Yinti did not speak.
Nian Gengyao said:
"Konishi Yukinaga had just lost Pyongyang and was most afraid of being caught by the Ming army again."
"He can give you a bad look."
"No incisions can be made."
"Ukita Hideie wants to maintain stability in the capital. He's young, has a high status, and won't easily hand over his team to us."
"Takakage Kobayakawa is old, steady, and can see through weaknesses."
"He will not cooperate with the prince."
"But he will seize the opportunity when the Ming army is out of alignment."
"Tachibana Muneshige is half an elite soldier, capable of taking on the Ming army's first vanguard."
"He's not afraid of a head-on confrontation."
"But we can't let him know our real purpose."
"Yoshikawa Hiroie can provide cover; it's not advisable for him to be exposed."
Yinzhen squinted.
"You've included the Japanese in your count."
Nian Gengyao said:
"They just need to do what they want."
Yinzhen finally showed a hint of genuine interest.
"continue."
Nian Gengyao's finger fell back to the Ming army's pursuit line.
"The original situation is to draw in three thousand."
"Things may have changed now."
Yinzhen said:
"Something's changed? What if the Ming army goes from three thousand to ten thousand?"
Nian Gengyao said:
"Good thing."
The people in the tent looked up at the same time.
Yinzhen asked:
"What's so good about it?"
Nian Gengyao did not appoint Li Rusong as commander.
He positioned himself on the narrow path between the forwards and the follow-ups, hidden by the snow line.
"Three thousand men, we can only surround them."
"Ten thousand people, with waists."
His voice was flat.
"If you have a waist, you can break it."
Yinzhen looked at that place.
"Where is it broken?"
Nian Gengyao said:
"Sever the ear first."
"Tangma, night watchman, pass on the order."
"Make sure he can't hear you."
He moved his finger.
"Don't confuse me again."
"Flanking flags, guides, torches, defeated soldiers."
"To make it impossible for him to make a judgment."
The third finger falls between the forwards and the defenders.
"Finally, press down on your waist."
"Make the striker feel like there's still room behind him."
"To make the rear team feel that the front can still hold on."
"Let the central army grow thinner and thinner, breath by breath."
Yinzhen said:
Where is Li Rusong?
Nian Gengyao said:
"If he goes in, the guards will be thin."
"If he stops, the forwards will be in disarray."
"If he retreats, his fighting spirit will be broken."
Nian Gengyao raised his eyes.
"What the prince wants is not to kill a squad of Ming soldiers."
"It's about letting Li Rusong emerge from his isolation at the most inopportune time."
The brazier in the tent crackled softly.
After a moment, Yinzhen pressed for an answer:
"Where is Mochin?"
Nian Gengyao paused for a moment.
"World's number one? A nine-headed bird?"
Yinzhen said:
What do you think of him?
Nian Gengyao said:
"Courageous, strong, and lucky."
Yinzhen smiled.
"You also think he's troublesome?"
Nian Gengyao said:
"Those who can climb up alone first are always troublesome."
Yinzhen looked at him.
Nian Gengyao continued:
"But he's only just learned how to lead people."
"The kind of person who is most afraid of someone dying behind them."
"He can save the person in front of him."
"I can't save everyone I've named."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yinzhen's eyes flickered slightly.
He understood.
Nian Gengyao did not intend to fight Mo Qin.
He wanted to distract Mochin and make him reveal a weakness.
Yinzhen said:
"Nian Lianggong".
"Your servant is here."
"If this game succeeds, the credit will belong to me."
Nian Gengyao lowered his eyes.
"That's how it should be."
Yinzhen's eyes turned slightly cold.
"What if we lose?"
Nian Gengyao said:
"This servant is entrusted with military orders."
Yinzhen said:
"Fourth Brother said the same thing?"
Nian Gengyao raised his eyes.
"Fourth Master only cares about the result."
"If we lose, it doesn't matter who takes the blame."
Yinzhen looked at him without saying a word for a long time.
Then he turned and walked out of the tent.
The wind and snow suddenly lashed at the two of them.
Four thousand people still stood in the snow.
Yinzhen took a step forward.
Everyone bowed their heads at the same time.
He looked into the depths of the snow, using all his strength.
"From the very beginning, what I wanted was not to defend the city for the Japanese army."
"What I want is Li Rusong's head!"
At the very front, hundreds of armored soldiers knelt down in unison.
"Yes, sir!"
Yinzhen said:
"With his death, the Ming army's morale was broken."
"His death threw the Liaodong army into disarray."
"His death and Pyongyang's great victory were nothing more than a farewell feast for him."
Four thousand people kowtowed at the same time.
"Yes, sir!"
Nian Gengyao stood half a step behind Yinzhen and suddenly spoke.
"The Battle of Byeokjegwan".
"Not seeking fame or reputation."
"No one is allowed to disrupt the formation for personal gain."
He looked up at the Japanese players and hired thugs behind him, who were like weather vanes, constantly shifting their allegiances.
"You fight like you're fighting for food."
"They were quick to grab them."
"They died quickly too."
Some people's expressions changed.
Nian Gengyao said calmly:
"Death is not a sin."
"To issue orders arbitrarily is a crime."
"Who gave the wrong order?"
He paused.
"I chopped him up with my own hands."
No one dared to talk back.
Because the way Nian Gengyao looked at them didn't seem like he was looking at people.
It's like inspecting a batch of cattle and horses to see if they're still usable.
Yinzhen did not stop this overstepping of boundaries.
He even felt that this person was indeed useful.
pity.
Not one's own slave.
At least, not entirely.
The wind and snow pressed down.
The black flag was finally unfurled.
The four thousand men rose silently and disappeared into the snowy night.
After a moment, Yinzhen smiled.
"Nian Lianggong".
"Your servant is here."
"Cut open Li Rusong's waist for me."
Nian Gengyao bowed his head.
"Yes, sir."
Outside Pyongyang, torches of the Ming army were being lit one by one.
The military order was issued.
The first to act was the night scout.
It's a pond horse.
He is a forward scout.
Mo Qin stood outside the front camp, gripping his white wax spear tightly, with Lin Jun beside him.
Liu Gao walked over carrying a shield.
Yan Qi stood behind him, the bow already strung.
The instructor and the monkey also came through the wind and snow.
Further away, players from the Ming army camp were gradually gathering.
Wolong's private message has arrived.
[Wolong is from Chengdu: I heard you couldn't stop him.]
Mo Qin glanced at the private messages.
He replied:
[Central Nine-Headed Bird: Couldn't stop them.]
Wolong replied quickly:
[Wolong is from Chengdu: then protect it.]
Commands resounded from the central command direction.
"Tomorrow at ten o'clock."
"The forwards are heading south."
"Chase."
One word was enough to subdue the entire battalion.
Mochin turned around and looked at everyone.
He held the white wax spear horizontally at his shoulder and whispered:
"Tomorrow, we'll follow Li Shuai."
"Bring him back safely."