Upon hearing this, Master Si was completely bewildered.
What? He's the ruler of Tianjing?
Seeing his confused expression, Duke Zheng reminded him, "Someone from the Xie family sent us a letter saying they intend to put you, Lord Sibo, in charge of Tianjing!"
At this, Si Bogong felt a shiver run through his body.
Which member of the Xie family would fabricate such a boast without thinking? Could it be that these people joined him because they believed this claim?
But he dared not expose it.
He could only say, "I don't know what to do?"
"Didn't the Fourth Prince tell you about the next steps? We've all been proceeding according to plan." Someone suddenly said, and everyone fell silent, whispering among themselves.
Master Si was shocked. It was that child... He really was faking it?! Master Si burst into tears of joy.
He was excited, but quickly realized that Xie Ji had never said those words. Apart from him, no other member of the Xie family had ever been to Tianjing. The rumor that the marshal would entrust Tianjing to him was probably spread by Qi Nian.
Soon, Si Bogong became worried about his safety again:
“If a child is going to pretend, they should pretend to the end. Showing up now will put you in danger.”
Could it be that Qi Nian deliberately diverted Huang Mang's attention to himself?
How could he be so reckless with his life!
At this moment, Si Bogong wanted to find Si Xinian as soon as possible. He said to everyone, "Marshal Xie's last imperial decree states that anyone who opens the gate for Xie's army while wearing a white flag will not be killed! Instead, they will be granted the position of one of the Three Dukes!"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other. Surrendering to save their lives was the most important thing at the moment, and now Marshal Xie had promised them wealth and honor. Everyone present bowed and said, "We will obey Marshal Xie's orders and serve him with utmost loyalty."
Meanwhile, Xie Ji bribed the gatekeeper of Tianjing with a few taels of gold and had just left Tianjing when he was pursued by the three Zhao brothers. If it weren't for Xie Shangguang leading two thousand men to cover him, he might not have been able to escape the capital.
Seeing Xie Ji running desperately out, Zhao Qing ordered, "Second and third brothers, split into three groups to encircle him. Do not pursue him beyond the border. Whether or not you capture him, you must return to Tianjing by noon. Do not take any risks."
"Yes, brother!" Zhao Shi and Zhao Zhao immediately split their forces into two groups.
They knew that Xie Ji's troops were in Wu Jin, so they naturally went to Wu Jin and set up checkpoints along the way to try to surround Xie Ji.
After the three brothers separated, Zhao Shi bypassed Ning County from the left. He rode his horse through the streets, charging recklessly and trampling on passersby.
In a high-rise building with a wide view, a long crossbow launcher is mounted on the pavilion, and the arrows on the rack gleam coldly.
Just as Zhao Shi spoke, "Close the city gates! Don't let a single one escape!"
"Whoosh!" Suddenly, the crossbow fired, and an arrow pierced Zhao Shi's neck, sending a jet of blood flying! He fell from his horse and died instantly.
"The Second... General is dead!!" The soldiers behind him immediately panicked.
Zhao Qing flanked from the right and stopped halfway in a small mountain village. He felt uneasy and had a bad feeling about it.
His eyes scanned the vast farmland. The winter harvest had just taken place, and the surrounding area was bare and clearly visible. If Xie Jizhen had escaped, he would surely have left some clues, such as hoofprints or even footprints.
However, there were no footprints on the ground.
Just as he realized something was wrong, the sound of horses' hooves thundered as they charged up the grassy slope.
Zhao Qing looked closely and saw Xie's cavalry sweeping towards them in an overwhelming, murderous aura!
"Where did these cavalrymen come from?!" Zhao Qing asked, accompanied by his advisors.
At this moment, the aide suddenly exclaimed in alarm, "General, I heard that when Xie Guang retreated from the four counties, most of his troops passed through this area. Could it be that he left some men behind to ambush us?"
"What? Xie Guang?!" Zhao Qing's eyes widened. Did that brute even have a brain?!
No matter how much he questioned it, the cavalry had already charged towards their infantry. Zhao Qing still had Ma Kou to escape quickly. He was also thinking of going back to inform General Huang that the peace talks were just a delaying tactic to lull Tianjing into a false sense of security.
They had already prepared for the worst, but they never expected Xie Jun to strike first.
Xie Ying never intended to let them go! She was just putting on an act to guard against a pincer attack from the two major powers of the Northern Region and the Stone Kingdom!
Zhao Qing had only run a mile when he casually killed five cavalrymen. Then, as he turned a corner, his personal guard suddenly drew his sword and stabbed Zhao Qing through the back.
A white knife goes in, a red knife comes out.
Zhao Qing coughed up blood, staring in astonishment at his guard: "You..."
The guard slashed again, blood splattering everywhere: "My father was the gatekeeper of Tianjing. He died a year ago protecting the Princess."
The guard wiped the blood off the blade and smeared it on his face: "Traitor!"
Zhao Qing was powerless to resist and fell off his horse. His bodyguard was immediately discovered by other soldiers and was unfortunately chopped into mincemeat.
Only Zhao Zhao escaped back to Tianjing. He never expected that what was just a temporary pursuit would result in the deaths of his two older brothers.
In the Golden Palace, Zhao Zhao wept bitterly, grabbing Si Xinian's collar tightly: "It's all your fault! You're the one who killed my eldest and second brothers!"
Si Xinian said calmly, "How could it be my fault? I did suggest blocking Xie Ji, but that was just one method."
The person who made the final decision was Huang Mang.
Huang Mang's face was also very ugly. He did not expect that this operation was aimed at the three Zhao brothers!
It seems that the Xie family is fully aware of his power.
"No need to pretend. I will take you to the Northern Region, but I have never guaranteed that you will be unharmed." Huang Mang was angry at this moment.
"I'll leave Zhao Zhao to you to deal with."
Unexpectedly, Zhao Zhao drew his sword and aimed it at Si Xinian's head, but was suddenly blocked by a military officer.
Zhao Zhao glared fiercely at the military officer: "Qian Yimao! How dare you stop me?"
Huang Junxin, who was outside the palace, suddenly rushed in with great fear: "Report! Xie Ji has led hundreds of thousands of troops to charge into the four counties from Wu Jin. Our army of eight thousand men, which we just sent out, has been completely wiped out!"
Upon hearing this, the Huang army generals were all alarmed and stood up: "Didn't Xie Ying withdraw all his troops? Where did these hundreds of thousands of soldiers come from!"
"Impossible! How could such a large force be hidden? Our scouts saw Xie Guang lead his troops away with their own eyes. If so many men had stayed behind, how could no one have discovered them?"
"Could Xie Ying possibly conjure people up out of thin air?!"
Si Xinian calmly pushed the knife away from his neck and said to Huang Mang, "General Huang, could it be that Xie Ying is also playing some trick of turning beans into soldiers? He said he was withdrawing 180,000 people, but actually he secretly left 100,000 behind, while Xie Guang pulled some able-bodied men back to the Southern Region to make up the numbers. This kind of force is hard to hide. I'm afraid there are traitors in our local area who are helping him to cover up his whereabouts."
"Therefore, any intelligence from General Huang can only circulate around Tianjing at most, and cannot be transmitted outside."
The implication is that the Shi Kingdom and the Northern Region will not know about this so quickly, but seeing the visible number of soldiers, both sides will definitely have to consider whether to attack immediately.
This means that both sides will delay their military deployment. If the deployment is delayed, Huang Mang's situation will be very dangerous.
Huang Mang realized this, and his face turned even paler. This kid was right!
Huang Mang realized that he still needed Si Xinian's plan, so he had no choice but to suppress his disgust and order, "Zhao Zhao, release him immediately!"
After Zhao Zhao's sword was deflected by Qian Yimao, he said incredulously, "General, you didn't hand him over to me to deal with!"
Doesn't the death of his elder brothers matter? How could General Huang treat the Zhao family like this? The Zhao family risked their lives for him, becoming his lapdogs whom everyone hated, and in the end, they only received this treatment.
Zhao Zhao's face immediately filled with hatred as he looked at Si Xinian.
"Zhao Zhao, everything you've done is Xie Ying's fault! Release the strategist!" Huang Mang stepped down from the stage, pushed Zhao Zhao's hand away, and said to Si Xinian, "The Fourth Prince has truly impressed me."
"Now that you know Xie Ying by secret, how should I deal with this next?"
Si Xinian suggested, "Now, only one of the three Zhao generals remains. The troops of the two deceased generals are leaderless. The only way to achieve our goal is to delay for another day. Why don't you delegate authority to Qian Yimao?"
That's Qian Yimao, who just took the knife for me.
Upon hearing this, everyone in the Golden Palace turned to look at Qian Yimao, their expressions revealing dissatisfaction.
Qian Yimao is not very capable, but he is obedient. Giving him authority could easily turn him into cannon fodder.
Huang Mang quickly came up with a choice: "Let Qian Yimao's younger brother, Qian Sen, lead 60,000 men to resist Xie's army."
Qian Sen is a talented individual; although young, he is prudent in his work.
Huang Mang chose Qian Sen as his opponent, and even dared to threaten the Zhao family's interests right in front of them. Zhao Zhao and the other Zhao family military officers were all dissatisfied.
A dark undercurrent rose in Si Xinian's eyes.
Huang Mang passed on the order, and privately reassured the Zhao family to calm down, promising to return the power to them afterward and hand Si Xinian over to them for disposal.
That night, Zhao Zhao, overwhelmed with grief, drank heavily and happened to run into Si Xinian and Qian Yimao, who were strolling around near the restaurant.
Si Xinian and Qian Yimao were chatting and laughing, having a great time. In fact, in front of Zhao Zhao, Zhao Zhao could no longer contain himself and, under the influence of alcohol, he drew his knife and jumped down from the second floor, directly slashing at Si Xinian.
Qian Yimao skillfully blocked the attack and coldly shouted, "Zhao Zhao, how dare you be disrespectful to a strategist?"
"Go to hell! Get out of my way, or I'll kill you too!" Zhao Zhao slashed Qian Yimao's arm with a whirling blade. Si Xinian took the opportunity to hide behind a pillar in the restaurant. He peeked out from behind the pillar and said, "How can General Zhao blame me? In my opinion, you don't dare to cause trouble for General Huang, so you're taking it out on me. Heh, what a cowardly and incompetent man."
"You son of a bitch, you still dare to stab me!" Zhao Zhao was furious and slashed at him. The street was already in chaos. At the critical moment, Qian Sen, who was passing by, saw his elder brother being slashed on the ground. Without hesitation, he led his soldiers to subdue Zhao Zhao.
"Those who engage in private fighting and disturbances will be taken away and court-martialed!"
"You! You dare, Qian Sen, how dare you treat me like this! Aren't you afraid General Huang will blame you!" Zhao Zhao struggled as he was being held captive. The next moment, a soldier quietly tapped him on the back of the head, and Zhao Zhao immediately lost consciousness.
Soon, Zhao Zhaoren was dragged away.
Si Xinian walked out from behind the pillar as if nothing had happened. As he passed Qian Sen, he whispered, "Zhao Zhao cannot be allowed to live."
Qian Sen's eyes flashed: "Aren't you afraid I'll expose what you're telling me? Even though you and my elder brother are old acquaintances, it doesn't mean General Huang won't see what you've done."
“He can’t touch me.” Si Xinian hinted before leaving the street, “Once you leave the village tonight, this is the last chance.”
Huang Mang had indeed heard about Si Xinian's actions tonight. He knew the brat had deliberately chosen this moment to eliminate those who had bullied him. He asked his advisor, "Have someone keep an eye on this kid secretly. Also, are the troops heading west to the Northern Region ready?"
The aide said, "Twenty thousand men have been dispatched to clean up the area. Once the general leaves Tianjing, he can immediately head to the Northern Region."
However, he still had to spend two days in Tianjing before that.
The following day, one of Huang Mang's personal generals led 5,000 men to scout out of the border prefecture, but they were killed by Xie's cavalry as soon as they left the city gate.
When Huang Mang mobilized the grain and supplies troops to the northern region, the grain officer stopped to relieve himself by the river and was strangled to death on the way.
With the addition of the two Zhao brothers, Huang Mang lost four trusted confidants at once. When the news of their deaths reached Tianjing, he could no longer sit still. He sent Qian Sen, fully armored, to attack Shuixian in Qijin, attempting to gain a waterway from Qijin that could also lead directly to the Northern Regions.
Qian Sen led 50,000 men out of Tianjing, while Xie Ji led 150,000 men through the four counties, already heading towards the border prefecture.
Bianzhou is now only one city away from Tianjing.
Huang Mang immediately abandoned his plan to seize the waterways of the Seven Jin regions and ordered Qian Sen to return to defend Tianjing. Remembering the annihilation of the eight thousand men he had sent to seize the Three Jin regions, Huang Mang dared not act rashly again.
All the Yellow Army troops are now besieged in Tianjing.
Battle reports arrived frequently at the palace, and the three articles of peace talks had been nullified; Xie Lanzhi would no longer abide by them. The civil officials of Tianjing were all terrified, and privately they resented Huang Mang for missing a good opportunity for peace talks.
Huang Mang is facing imminent disaster. He now asks his advisors more than a dozen times a day: "When will the troops from Shiguo Prefecture and the Northern Region arrive?"
The aide said, "Today is the second day."