Chapter 233: King Zhou apologized

For two weeks, there has been no rain in southern Hebei. Milky white light fog filled the air, covering the distant woods. From there, it emitted a burning atmosphere. Many dark and hazy clouds floated leisurely in the blue sky and slowly crawled over. The strong dry wind kept blowing, but it could not drive away the heat of summer.

Midsummer finally came to a difficult day. The heat that oppressed people was ruthlessly hot. In this crazy summer, military operations were obviously affected. It took the King of Zhou's troops from Handan to Xingtai. After walking to Xingtai, they were like exhausted old cows, lying on the ground and never wanted to move again.

The King of Zhou's camp was ten miles south of Xingtai City, and a 60,000 army stretched for several miles. The camp was quiet and no soldier came out of the tent. Everyone hid in the camp and endured the torture of the scorching heat.

At this time, on the official road that was like fire falling from the sky, a team of cavalry guarding a carriage and slowly heading towards the Zhou King's camp.

In the central army's tent, King Zhu Su was staring at a map and was ecstatic, but his eyes looked at the sky outside from time to time. He seemed a little restless. In fact, he was reluctant to send troops this time. He was not prepared enough. The war broke out just over a month after returning from the court.

But he had to come. He knew that he had been tied to the chariot of the King of Qin. If he didn't come, the Qin and Jin coalition forces would destroy the Queen Yan, and he would be the next one. Just like this, conflict, hesitation, hesitation, he walked slowly, and on the pretext that the weather was hot, he would walk one stop and stop for one stop. It took nearly half a month to arrive at Xingtai. It was hundreds of miles away from Peking. It would be better that when he arrived by himself, the war would be over.

However, this morning, he received an unexpected news that a cavalry came from east to west and occupied Handan, which actually cut off his retreat. This group had tens of thousands of people, and it could not be the Yan army, but it was very likely the imperial army, but what did the imperial army do to cut off its retreat? This is why he was uneasy. He looked at the map now and wanted to find another way out, or to join the Qin King's army and negotiate with the court together. This is the King of Zhou's psychology at this time. He was a little nervous, but he didn't take this matter too much.

At this moment, the guards' report came from outside the door, "Your Highness, there is a scholar outside asking for a visit. He said he was the military counselor under the tent of the King of Yan, named Han Lu."

Zhu Shi was stunned. Han Lu knew that he was one of the counselors of the King of Yan. Although his status was under Daoyan, he was also highly valued. He was mainly in charge of the money, food and horses of the Yan army. He had always been by the King of Yan. Why did he come today? Could it be...

Zhu Qi stood up in surprise and whispered: "Hurry and invite me!"

After a moment, several guards led a scholar to the tent, and Zhu Xu hurriedly came out, "Mr. Han has arrived, and he has been in a position to welcome him. I wish you a guilty crime! I wish you guilty!"

The visitor was Han Lu, who was one of the important counselors of the King of Yan. He had a thin face, a long beard hanging down his chest, and had a bit of a fairy-like appearance. He was good at speaking and was very good at observing words. This time he came, he was responsible for the important tasks assigned to him by the King of Yan.

As soon as the King of Zhou came out, Han Lu judged the mentality of King Zhou from his tone and attitude. Although he surrendered to the King of Qin, he did not devote himself to his brother. He was so polite to himself. He wanted to set up a archway and be a bitch. He wanted to send troops to help the King of Qin, but he also wanted to let King Yan forgive him. Such a person still wanted to fight with King Yan and wanted to live in the world? At most, it was a dish of fate.

Han Lu despised him, but he laughed on his face: "It's such a hot day, Your Highness has come out to greet him personally, so he dare not take it! He dare not take it!"

"Mr. Han is here this time..." Zhu Xu said impatiently.

Han Lu smiled and said, "It's better to go in and talk about it if it's hot outside."

Zhu Xu suddenly realized and immediately waved his hand and said, "Please! Sir!"

The two of them sat down after entering the tent. A guard served two bowls of herbal tea. Han Lu took a sip of the tea and smiled as if nothing had happened: "Your Highness leads the army northward, where is this going?"

Zhu Wei blushed and couldn't speak for a long time. Han Lu glanced at him and said coldly: "There is a saying that I will say first. Now His Highness, King Yan is in Xingtai City. Whether it is a war or a harmony is all within your thoughts."

‘Ah!’ Zhu Wei was stunned for a while. After a while, he stuttered: “You mean, my fourth brother is in Xingtai City now?”

Han Lu nodded, "Yes! Your Highness, King Yan led 50,000 cavalry to the periphery, preparing to attack the Qin and Jin coalition from behind, but accidentally heard that Your Highness, King Zhou went north, so he decided to come and meet His Highness for a while, want to ask His Highness what the purpose of going north was?"

Zhu Qi was panicked and confused. He now understood that the cavalry in Handan must be the Yanshan Iron Cavalry of the King of Yan. Only they could rush for a long distance in this hot summer. His retreat had been cut off. What should I do? What should I do? He kept asking himself, but his mind was blank and he had no idea.

Han Lu saw it, and he relaxed and said, "Your Highness King Yan is in love with brothers and feet, and cannot bear to attack Your Highness with an iron cavalry at night. He specially ordered me to persuade him, hoping that your Highness can repent and not do things that make the relatives hurt and the enemy happy."

This sentence reminded Zhu Xi. Since the fourth brother sent a scholar to discuss, there was still room for ease, but he was very conflicted. If he listened to the fourth brother's plan, it would be like he had a alliance with the King of Qin, and Qin Jin could not spare him. But if he insisted on the alliance with Qin and Jin, and the 50,000 Yanshan Iron Cavalry was not something he could withstand. Qin and Jin were more than 200 miles away, and it was too late to rescue him. He was in a mess for a while and didn't know what to do.

Han Lu seemed to know his thoughts, so he advised him: "The reason why the King of Yan understood the alliance between His Highness and Qin and Jin was nothing more than to be the king of a country. Perhaps Qin and Jin could promise His Highness to divide the world by three parts, but this was by no means a blessing for the Ming Dynasty. His Highness had thought that the Ming Dynasty was divided, but the Mongols were accumulating strength again. They were obsessed with the Central Plains. Once the Ming Dynasty fell into internal strife and the national strength was weak, what should we do to resist the Mongolian cavalry going south again, once the Ming Dynasty was taken away by the Mongols again, Qin, Jin, and Zhou Three Kings

Wouldn't you become a sinner for eternity? How do you meet your father in the future? Your Highness is a well-educated and not an ignorant Qin and Jin. You should be wise and know the righteousness. Besides, the King of Yan is His Highness's brother. Will he treat his younger brother badly when he becomes the emperor in the future? The King of Yan asked me to tell Your Highness that he is the emperor and the country of Ming Dynasty cannot be broken, but he can confer Annan, Luzon or Goryeo to His Highness and let His Highness be the king of a small country. Your Highness, this is what the King of Yan agreed to for his younger brother's sake. Your Highness can't be obsessed with it anymore."

Han Lu's advice was like the last weight, suppressing Zhu Wei's embarrassing heart. He sighed and said, "What should I do if the fourth brother wants me?"

Seeing that he had been persuaded by him, Han Lu immediately said: "The King of Yan means to ask His Highness to go to Xingtai to admit his mistake, and then retreat to Kaifeng. After he defeated Qin and Jin, he will cooperate with him to march towards Shandong. In addition, the King of Yan knows that His Highness is rich and hopes that His Highness can provide some food and grass assistance to the Yan army."

Zhu Qi frowned. He was willing to withdraw his troops, but when he went to Xingtai to see his fourth brother, he was a little scared. He hesitated and said, "Why do I withdraw my troops and return to Kaifeng and give me hundreds of thousands of grain to him? What do you think?"

Han Lu shook his head and said, "The King of Yan is only more than a thousand people in Xingtai. You are brothers. How could the King of Yan harm Your Highness? If he harms Your Highness, how could he ascend the throne and become emperor in the future? How could he win the hearts of other kings? He wanted His Highness to admit his mistake in person, and then the brother smiled and slim his grudges."

Zhu Xu was finally persuaded, and he nodded and said, "Okay! I will go to Xingtai with my husband and apologize to my fourth brother."

Xingtai County, the towering city wall stands on the Yanzhao Plain. It was dusk, the setting sun was like blood, and the earth was vast. King Yan Zhu Di stood on the wall and looked at the south. He had been in Xingtai for two days and had been waiting patiently for the arrival of the King of Zhou, like a fisherman who threw down his bait, quietly waiting for the fish to take the bait. He knew that the King of Zhou brought 80,000 people, and 40,000 of these 80,000 people were the former Henan garrison, and later assigned to the King of Zhou as a guardian of the vassal kings. It was a very elite army. Unfortunately, the King of Zhou had no one under his command, so he actually made the army go dark. In addition, he recruited 40,000 new soldiers himself, which were mobs. But he mixed the old and new troops together, like putting shackles on the strong people.

The 40,000 guards of the King of Zhou were what he wanted, and he could also accept the 40,000 new recruits. As his military service, of course, the 80,000 people of the King of Zhou could defeat them in one battle, but he couldn't bear to let them go, and he wanted to take them into his arms without any damage.

"Your Highness, here you are!" A personal soldier pointed at an army on the official road in the distance.

Zhu Di raised the cliffhanger of Li Wei's eyes that were sending him, squinted for a long time, and he saw the King of Zhou, riding on a horse and talking to Han Lu in the carriage. He suddenly laughed and only a few hundred people came. His younger brother was really a scholar. He believed Han Lu's words. Maybe he really thought he had only more than a thousand people in Xingtai City!

Zhu Di immediately ordered: "Sorry Zhang Yu to send troops without waiting for them to enter the city, you can immediately surround them and capture them, and then send Zhu Neng to the camp of King Zhou and monitor their actions."

With the order of the King of Yan, ten thousand cavalry in the city, led by general Zhang Yu, rushed out of the four gates and surrounded the King of Zhou two miles away. Ten thousand cavalry and horses galloped, and murderous aura soared into the sky. In an instant, they surrounded the stunned King of Zhou in the middle. Thousands of bows and arrows and muskets pointed at him. Zhang Yu flew out and pointed at Zhu Qi with a sword. He shouted sternly: "The King of Yan has an order, and the King of Zhou will be dismounted and bound, otherwise he will be killed without mercy!"

An hour later, Zhu Di came to the camp of King Zhou under the escort of 10,000 cavalry. At this time, general Zhu Neng had already led 20,000 cavalry outside the camp to monitor the situation. If the army of King Zhou dared to escape, he would pursue him with his own head.

Thirty thousand Yanshan cavalry slowly moved closer to the Zhou King's camp like a mountain, and finally stopped a mile away. They suddenly burst into shouts like a mountain collapse and cracks: "Long live the king of Yan, long live! Long live!" The momentum was extremely terrifying.

Under the escort of hundreds of personal guards, Zhu Di rode his horse to the gate of the King of Zhou's camp. Behind him, King of Zhou Zhu's face was pale. He lowered his head and shivered all over.

The gate was closed and behind the wooden fence as thick as an arm, countless officers of the King of Zhou army were filled with complicated expressions. They watched the King of Yan and King of Zhou approaching silently. Thirty steps away, Zhu Di stopped the war horse. He pointed at the horse whip and ordered sternly: "All officers above a thousand households came out to see me!"

The officers looked at each other, and the camp was silent. After a moment, the camp gate opened, and nearly 200 officers from more than a thousand households came out one after another. They stood in front of the King of Yan, looking at him and the King of Zhou with some at a loss.

Zhu Di snorted, and he said with a high voice: "I will only give you one chance. Your King of Zhou has surrendered to me. Those who are willing to be loyal to me, Zhu Di, will put their right arm on their right hand, and those who are unwilling to be loyal can return to the camp themselves."

The officers were quiet. Suddenly, a commander took off his armor, exposed his right arm and knelt down. Someone took the lead. The officers knelt down one after another with their right arms and shouted loudly: "We are willing to be loyal to His Highness, King Yan, and go through fire and water for His Highness."

"Okay! From today on, you are my brothers. As long as I, Zhu Di, have a bite of meat, I will share half of my brothers."

At the end of June of the first year of Jianwen, King Yan Zhu Di of the King of Zhou was defeated and recovered the King of Zhou's 80,000 troops in Xingtai. He then ordered the general Zhu Neng as the main general to reorganize the King of Zhou's army, and sent someone to pretend to be the special envoy of the King of Zhou to ask for help from the King of Qin in Baoding. He said that King Yan wanted to flee south, but was intercepted by the King of Zhou. The two armies confronted each other and begged the King of Qin to help quickly. The King of Qin was shocked and immediately ordered the army to turn around and go south to prepare to wipe out the King of Yan's army in the Xingtai area.
Chapter completed!