Painting Doctor Jinhua

Chapter 197: Guarding Luoyang Alone, Mother and Son Reunited

Xie Yuxuan looked at the group of old, weak and disabled soldiers in front of her, shaking her head in anger: "These are the troops that His Majesty gave to my sister. Isn't this sending my sister to die?"

Xiao Jinyu made a gesture to keep quiet: "Originally, they didn't intend for me to really resist the Zhou army. They just wanted to give me to Yuwen Hu. Moreover, the civil and military officials in the court did not agree with Your Majesty to transfer the imperial guards away from Yecheng. After all, Yecheng also needs to be defended! The safety of the emperor is more important!"

"Sister, this might be another trick that Lu Lingxuan gave to He Shikai behind the scenes. She wants He Shikai to instigate His Majesty to drive you out of Yecheng! From this perspective, my efforts to block an arrow for Gao Zhan and almost save her life are in vain."

Xie Yuxuan was unwilling to give in.

Xiao Jinyu shook her head and said, "No, Gao Zhan didn't distrust me. He gave me this privately..."

Xie Yuxuan saw that what she was holding in her left hand was actually an imperial edict. After opening it, she found that the general content was to appoint Xie Zhen as the Minister of War of Bingzhou, and he could dispatch troops from Jinyang.

The Bingzhou Xingtai was a small court in Jinyang, and the official positions there were similar to those in Yecheng.

"But what's the use of this? Jinyang is the world of those Xianbei nobles. I heard that these Xianbei nobles have always looked down on the Han people and are very dissatisfied with the Han families. How could they obey your orders?"

"and this!"

Xiao Jinyu took out another sword. This sword was more than one foot long. The scabbard was painted with golden dragon patterns and inlaid with red gems. It looked like an excellent sword.

"This is the Yuanrong Sword bestowed by the Emperor. Seeing it is like seeing the Emperor. Even if those Xianbei nobles in Jinyang cannot be mobilized, the troops in Luoyang can still be mobilized!"

At this point, Xiao Jinyu looked at Xie Yuxuan and Ling Ye and smiled: "Besides, don't I still have you guys?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard another voice coming from behind:

"You're wrong, you don't just have them, you have us too!"

The ones who spoke were Princess Liyang and Madam Wei. Today, they both wore men's clothes, dressed neatly and looked heroic.

"Since His Majesty wants to transfer you to Luoyang, then we will go with you, and we will share the joys and sorrows, life and death together!"

"And me, and me!"

Ah Xiu also changed into a servant's attire and ran out holding a package.

"Let Xiu come with us. At least she can be a cook and cook for you!"

Xiao Jinyu looked at the women standing in front of her who were all looking at her expectantly, and her heart was so moved that her vision became a little blurred.

"But that's a battlefield, not a place to joke around! And you're all women who have never been to a battlefield..."

"Princess, I don't like what you said. Who said women can't go to the battlefield? I, Xie Yuxuan, have killed Hu people before, and my martial arts skills are no worse than those men!"

Xiao Jinyu couldn't help but smile again, feeling quite sad and moved in her heart, and thought to herself: If I take all the troops around me away and leave them in Yecheng, I'm afraid they will be framed by villains like Lu Lingxuan and He Shikai. It's better to take them to Jinyang so that Princess Liyang can be reunited with Chang Gong.

Thinking of this, she nodded and said, "Okay, then let's go to Luoyang together!"

After making this decision, Xiao Jinyu acted decisively and abandoned the one thousand old and weak soldiers given by Gao Zhan, and only selected two hundred Han warriors. Together with the troops brought by Xie Yuxuan and Ling Ye, there were five or six hundred people. Later, Gao Yanzong also brought two or three hundred troops. In this way, the cavalrymen who were temporarily formed were almost one thousand.

So, after inspecting the troops in front of the Bronze Sparrow Tower, the thousand soldiers marched out of Yecheng in a mighty force.

This time he was leaving the city to go to the battlefield and fight. There were more people on the streets watching him go than the last time he went to Yubi City, and there was a greater sense of sadness and intimacy of parting.

"Minister Xie, please come back safely!"

An elderly woman by the roadside couldn't help but shouted loudly with tears in her eyes.

"Does our Qi State have no military commanders? Why should we let Minister Xie, a civil official, go to war? Isn't this sending him to his death?"

"What nonsense! How can you say he is going to die? Maybe Minister Xie is blessed by heaven."

"Hey, I heard that His Majesty asked him to go to Luoyang to negotiate with Yuwen Hu, hoping to use him to stop the war!"

Having said that, given Yuwen Hu's habit of not keeping his word and breaking the agreement as soon as he makes one, I'm afraid he will never be able to return.

Thinking of this, many people could not help but shed tears, and some sang passionate and heroic war songs.

"How can you say I have no one to rely on? I share the same robe with you. When the king raises an army, I will sharpen my spear. I share the same hatred with you."

……

In the Lu Mansion, Mu Ti Bo laughed so hard that she almost cried.

"I didn't expect it to be so easy. After just a brief mention to the Minister, Xie Zhen volunteered to defend Luoyang. He is really fearless. A weak scholar dares to go to the battlefield. Does he think the battlefield is fun?"

Lu Lingxuan couldn't laugh at this time.

"It is really admirable to have such courage. If Xie Zhen hadn't been against me everywhere, I would have admired him!"

After sighing, she turned and asked:

"How many people did he take away?"

"Who is in Lanling Palace now?"

"Have you found that Xiao Jinyu?"

A series of questions instantly made the smile on Mutipo's face disappear.

"Mother, this is really strange. When Xie Zhen left, he actually took everyone in Lanling Palace with him. Now, let alone a person, we can't even find a mouse, let alone Lanling Princess Xiao Jinyu. Did she really run to Jinyang to find Gao Changgong?"

Lu Lingxuan's face darkened slightly, and there seemed to be a flash of light in her mind, but she still couldn't figure out what was wrong.

"Impossible, how could Xiao Jinyu, a lowly servant, be so silent? Something must have gone wrong."

"Since His Majesty has already granted a mansion to Xie Zhen, why did he take away everyone in Lanling Prince's mansion?"

Mu Ti Po continued: "Maybe he is on guard against us? After all, the last time Xie Zhen came back, the Princess of Liyang fell into the hands of His Majesty, so..."

Lu Lingxuan suddenly glanced over sharply, and Mu Ti Po stopped talking.

"Every time I'm about to figure out the key to this, you disrupt my thoughts!"

Mutipo quickly bowed his head and apologized.

After a while, he whispered again, "There is one more thing, mother. The two hostages we detained in Fengyue Tower are missing. They were abducted in the middle of the night. They are A-nu's sister, A-Xiang, and their mother, Chen Yu."

Lu Lingxuan's face changed drastically: "Why don't you go find him quickly!"

Mu Ti Po was about to leave, and she said, "No, it's not important now. What's important is to prevent Xie Zhen and Gao Changgong from returning to Yecheng! It would be best if they both died in this Qi-Zhou war!"

After that, he asked again: "Do we have any evidence against Luozhou Governor Duan Siwen?"

"Yes!"

"Well, send a letter and ask Duan Siwen to kill Xie Zhen!"

……

It is three hundred miles from Yecheng to Luoyang, and it would take about ten days to travel non-stop. Along the way, Ling Ye and Xie Yuxuan conveyed all the information they collected from various places to Xiao Jinyu.

"If we hurry this far, by the time we reach Luoyang, Yuwen Hu's troops should also be there. Although we learned the news in advance through the spies, it won't be much faster. And looking at the weather, it looks like it's going to snow!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinyu also looked up at the sky. The originally clear sky was suddenly filled with many white clouds. The weather had turned colder in the past few days, and the wind blowing on her body was obviously colder and biting.

As I recall, Yuwen Hu wanted to take over the important city of Luoyang in Qi State in one fell swoop during the heavy snow. Luoyang City was only separated from Ye City by the Yellow River. Once Luoyang was captured, the conquest of Ye City of Qi State would be imminent.

"Yeah! It's going to snow!"

Xiao Jinyu also sighed, thinking of the Battle of Mangshan in her memory. Yuwen Hu used 100,000 soldiers and horses to besiege Luoyang, forming an encirclement, while Qi had only 50,000 soldiers. Many Qi generals did not dare to break out. It was in this battle that Chang Gong made a name for himself as the God of War. She did not expect that things would develop to this point now. She also had to go to Luoyang.

"Yanzong, how much food and grass have you prepared?"

"If we only eat it, it can last for about three months. But if we want to share it with the soldiers in Luoyang, it should only last for a month at most!"

"One month is enough, but we must deliver these grains before the Zhou army reaches Luoyang City. If Yuwen Hu reaches Luoyang before us, he will definitely cut off the road to Heyang and prevent the arrival of reinforcements. Without grain supplies, Luoyang will be in danger!"

"Yes!"

Gao Yanzong responded with a worried look on his face, as if he wanted to say something, but when he saw the many cavalrymen behind him, he swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

Seven days later, Xiao Jinyu finally arrived outside Jinyang City. At the same time, Ling Ye brought Xiao Jinyu another piece of news.

"Lu Lingxuan seems to have corresponded with the Turkic Khan Mugan, and there seems to be someone under her control in Luoyang."

Ling Ye said this and handed a letter to Xiao Jinyu.

After reading the contents of the letter, Xiao Jinyu's expression changed slightly and she secretly held the letter tightly.

"I never thought that Lu Lingxuan would even collude with the Turks..."

Gao Yanzong asked in astonishment: "Who is it?"

"The people guarding Luoyang City now are Dugu Yongye and Duan Siwen. Hejian King Gao Xiaowan has also arrived at Heyang North Central City outside Luoyang City."

"Dugu Yongye and my third brother will definitely not be controlled by Lu Lingxuan. Could it be Duan Siwen?"

Everyone fell silent. Suddenly, Xiao Jinyu called Gao Yanzong aside for a secret discussion.

After hearing Xiao Jinyu's request, Gao Yanzong's face changed drastically and he immediately rejected it.

"No, Sister-in-law, we have already arrived in Jinyang. Why can't you find Brother first and discuss countermeasures with him? How can a woman like you go to the battlefield? Please listen to me on this matter, okay?"

"But time won't allow. Once we enter Jinyang, not to mention whether we can find Chang Gong in a short period of time, we will have to go through many cumbersome procedures before we can see General Hulu, right?

Moreover, these Jinyang nobles may not believe what I say. If my guess is correct, the Turks have now invaded the border of Bingzhou, and Chang Gong may have been sent to attack the Turks!"

"But……"

"You are a prince of the royal family after all, so your words may be more effective than mine. Without further ado, you take Princess Liyang to Jinyang Palace to find Chang Gong first, while Axuan, Ling Ye and I will go to Luoyang to deliver food and fodder!"

"Fourth sister-in-law..."

Gao Yanzong was still worried and wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Xiao Jinyu again.

"Don't worry, I have a plan. At least I can keep Luoyang going until reinforcements arrive. And you have to ask for them!"

After a pause, she smiled and said, "Don't forget how your third brother went to Beizhong City in Heyang?"

Gao Yanzong's eyes lit up, and he asked incredulously, "Could it be that, Sister-in-law, you had anticipated this day, and that's why you suggested to His Majesty that Brother Three be exiled to Heyang?"

Xiao Jinyu smiled without denying it.

Gao Yanzong was delighted, but then he became worried.

"But if Fourth Brother knew about this, he would definitely blame me..."

"So just give this to him. He won't blame you when he sees it!"

As Xiao Jinyu spoke, she took out a brocade handkerchief that seemed to have words on it. After Gao Yanzong took it, he nodded slightly suspiciously.

After the two of them agreed, they came to Princess Liyang. Neither of them said anything. Xiao Jinyu just took out another handkerchief and used it to wipe the sweat from Princess Liyang's forehead. When Princess Liyang finished wiping the sweat, she fainted.

Xiao Jinyu supported her and handed her over to Madam Wei.

Madam Wei was very puzzled: "What are you doing?"

Xiao Jinyu replied: "Take her to see Chang Gong. Chang Gong has missed her for a long time. No matter what, they must meet."

"how about you?"

"I have my work to do!"

After saying that, she turned her gaze to Gao Yanzong and said, "Don't hesitate any longer, take them there quickly!"

After saying this, he turned his horse around, whipped the horse and galloped forward.

"Ah Xuan, Ling Ye, let's go to Luoyang!"

"it is good!"

When Gao Yanzong raised his head, he saw that the figures of Xiao Jinyu and Xie Yuxuan were getting farther and farther away. A group of cavalrymen were leaving with baggage. Under the afterglow of the setting sun and in the strong wind, the figures of the two women seemed particularly lonely and beautiful, which seemed to make him feel awe and reverence.

Madam Wei chased them all the way, then ran back dejectedly, pointing at Gao Yanzong and scolding him, "You just let them go like this? If the prince knew about this, he would be so worried and heartbroken..."

Gao Yanzong pursed his lips and did not speak for a long time. He just picked up Princess Liyang and put her in the carriage. Then he ordered Madam Wei to get into the carriage quickly, and then led a team of dozens of troops into Jinyang City.

After entering the city, Gao Yanzong went straight to General Hulugu who was guarding Jinyang and asked where Gao Changgong was.

At that time, Gao Changgong had just defeated a group of Turkic soldiers who wanted to plunder horses and food in Bingzhou. When he returned to Jinyang Palace, he heard Hulugu's subordinates report: "Your Highness Lanling Prince, your family is here to see you."

"Family? Could it be the princess?" Lu Yu said in surprise.

After hearing this, Gao Changgong was even more delighted. Without even changing his armor, he followed Hulugu's subordinates to the reception hall.

As soon as he entered the hall, he saw Gao Yanzong standing in front of him with two women. One of the women was facing him. He recognized that it was Madam Wei. The other woman was wearing a black men's dress. Her height and figure were somewhat similar to A Yu. When he was about to call out, the woman turned around and looked at him with an apologetic and sad expression.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks, stunned for a moment, staring at Princess Liyang for a long time before he opened his mouth and said:

"You are...my mother?"

Princess Liyang nodded with a smile: "Yes, Changgong..."

She didn't know what to say for a moment, and finally she said with her head down: "Chang Gong, I'm sorry!"

"Ayu told me about you in the letter, mother. You have done me no wrong. Changgong also misses you very much."

Princess Liyang burst into tears and murmured, "Over the years, I have been immersed in my own hatred and have not taken good care of you... I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!"

Gao Changgong felt a pang in his heart, so he walked over, hugged her gently, and said, "I can understand, I really understand... So, you don't have to blame yourself. Let's live a good life with Ah Yu from now on, okay?"

"Oh, by the way, where's Yu? Why isn't she with you guys?"

When he asked this question, he noticed that Madam Wei's eyes were a little evasive, so he looked at Gao Yanzong.

Gao Yanzong was a little afraid to face his gaze and directly handed a handkerchief to him.

"Fourth sister-in-law went to deliver food and grass to the soldiers in Luoyang. And Xie Yuxuan, who was beside her, received intelligence from the Zhou Kingdom that Yuwen Hu had already assembled 200,000 troops and was ready to attack. Fourth sister-in-law guessed that Yuwen Hu would definitely attack Luoyang first, so she had to send food and grass support to the soldiers in Luoyang before he arrived with his troops."

After hearing this, Gao Changgong's face suddenly changed, his heart sank suddenly, and his hands felt weak and he couldn't even hold the silk handkerchief.

"What did you say?"

"Gao Yanzong, didn't I ask you to protect her? How could you let her go alone?"

"I did persuade her, but Fourth Sister-in-law..."

Seeing that he was a little out of control, Lu Yu quickly opened the handkerchief in his hand. After seeing the contents inside, he showed joy and said hurriedly:

"Prince, look, the young lady has a plan, and she has written it down for you!"