Chapter 266: Holding the emperor hostage to order the princes?
Yang shot out an arrow and stabbed it straight into his throat.

Sheyema covered his neck and fell off his horse, and his companions around him were in chaos.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, several arrows came again and hit several people.

The Jin army in the front row felt like they were facing a formidable enemy and hurriedly raised their shields to block the front of the team. Yang Chang stopped shooting upon seeing this.

If Ye Ma fell to the ground and died, the guards who were traveling with him would be as heartbroken as if they had lost their parents. How could they dare to move forward even a single step?
They walked back with several corpses, not knowing what punishment they would face when they returned to the camp. They all looked lifeless, like eggplants hit by frost. The road seemed to blend into the valley, and it was as silent as death.

When they returned to Lingchuan Camp, Marshal Nianhan was not there, and it was his brother Alan who stayed behind. (Wanyan Zongxian)

Seeing Sheyema's body, Ah Lan looked at the people lying on the ground in shock and asked loudly, "How could this happen? Who killed him?"

"I don't know. We hadn't even left the valley when an arrow suddenly shot from the front and we didn't have time to react."

"You didn't even see the murderer clearly?"

"I really didn't see it. The Han people are always cunning. I think they are hiding somewhere."

After hearing this, Ah Lan felt extremely upset.

Last night, the Jin army was defeated and some of them fled back to Lingchuan to report the news. At that time, A Lan and She Ye Ma were in charge of the camp, but they did not find out the enemy's strength from the defeated soldiers.

Sheyema volunteered to take a team of people to investigate, but he did not expect to find corpses when he returned.

How can I explain this to my brother?

A Lan had been guarding the corpse in the big tent for half a day when a young general, who also wore a gold ring in his ear, suddenly rushed in cursing. However, the moment he saw Sheyema, his expression changed from anger to surprise.

"Brother? Why are you lying on the ground?"

He rushed forward, stumbled and fell beside Sheyema, and shouted to Alan beside him: "Brother is dead? Who killed my brother?"

"I do not know either."

"What! You don't know?"

The young man with the golden ring was about to get angry, but Nianhan, with a golden sword, rode into the tent and glared at him, shouting, "Xie Bao, stop being so presumptuous!"

"Father, my elder brother."

"Brother."

Nianhan stopped his son and brothers, squatted down and looked at Sheyema.

As the marshal of the Western Route Army, although he was extremely sad at this time, he could not show it in public, fearing that it would affect the morale of the army.

Ah Lan came over and said in an apologetic tone, "Last night, the Lingxi camp was attacked and the defeated army fled back to Lingchuan to report. Sheyema asked to find out the truth."

"What? The murderer who killed my eldest brother is at the entrance of Lingxi Valley?"

Xie Bao (the second son of Nianhan) stood up suddenly, but Nianhan grabbed him and asked, "What are you going to do?"

"I will go and recruit soldiers to avenge my elder brother!"

"Don't go!"

"why?"

Nianhan knew that Xiebao had a fierce temper, so he pulled him and pointed at Sheyema and sighed: "The man who killed your elder brother is no ordinary person. I don't want to lose another son."

"Brother, do you know who the murderer is?" A Lan looked surprised.

Nianhan nodded slightly and said in a deep voice: "They didn't see the murderer because the enemy who shot the arrow was too far away. In addition to Yin Shuke, I only know that Yang Chang can do this skill."

"Chief Yang?"

Xie Bao, who had been so arrogant just now, suddenly fell silent and sat on the ground.

Ah Lan frowned and muttered, "It seems that Huo Nu was also shot from a distance, and her throat was also shot through. It seems that it was really Chief Yang who did it."

"Yang Chang, you beast! I will tear you into pieces!"

Nianhan picked up the arrow that had been taken out, and then broke it into two pieces with a ferocious expression, as if he was swearing an oath beside his son's body.

Ah Lan followed up with another question: "Yang Chang appeared in the west of the mountain range, and our surprise attack on Gaoping failed. I wonder if Lijialing in the north is the target."

"Don't mention it."

Nianhan shook his head with a bitter face and replied: "Lin Chong led his troops to arrive suddenly, and Yidu was defeated in the battle. When Xie Bao and I arrived, he had already retreated from Lijialing."

"This"

Ah Lan was stunned when he heard this. He thought that since the army crossed Baixing, it first suffered a loss at the hands of Lu Junyi, and then Lin Chong and Yang Chang appeared at the critical point in time, and each one seemed more powerful than the other. How could this battle continue?
"Brother, the heavy rain has caused Baixing to become muddy, and subsequent grain transportation is very difficult. If we can't quickly open up the situation, the consequences will be disastrous."

"I know."

Nianhan frowned and said coldly: "I wanted to take a shortcut, but I didn't expect to encounter a rainstorm on the way. If I had known I should take Taihangxing, I wouldn't be so passive. It's also Gushe's fault for sending troops rashly and ruining my plan!"

"Gao Shiyou was instigated to rebel. Even if he didn't send troops at that time, he might not be able to hold Gaoping. He was able to test Yang Chang's strength, which can be regarded as his contribution. However, the Weisheng Army is so powerful, and now we have lost the initiative. If there is really no chance, why not..."

Although A Lan did not finish his words, his meaning was already very clear. He was worried that the supply of food and fodder would be insufficient, which would lead to even greater losses, so he suggested that Nianhan withdraw his troops as soon as possible.

Nianhan frowned and shook his head, "Our military strength is several times that of Yang Chang, but we have lost many generals this time, and now even our son has died here. How can we leave in disgrace? We will definitely be despised by the Eastern Army!"

"But Lin Chong, Lu Junyi, and Yang Chang all seem to be no ordinary people. Now they each occupy the terrain. How do you plan to break the deadlock? Or where do you want to break the deadlock?"

"It won't be too late to make plans after we find out the truth, but Yang Chang is an excellent archer, so it's not wise to fight him head-on. We should avoid his edge."

Seeing that one option was eliminated, Ah Lan immediately added: "Lu Junyi was able to kill several generals in battle, and it seems that his martial arts skills are not much inferior to Yang Chang, and he has the support of the people in the city. I don't recommend attacking Lingchuan by force."

"Lu Junyi," Zhanhan murmured with a cold brow, "This fellow was originally in Hebei, but was beaten into flight by Erliduo. I didn't expect that he would be so difficult to deal with after joining Yang Chang's army. Although he is brave, he cannot be compared with Yang Chang. But your analysis just now is very correct. I don't plan to attack Lingchuan by force. Lin Chong is the breakthrough point."

"Yes, yes. If we can take Lijialing, we don't need to go to Gaoping anymore. We can go directly north to Luzhou and Weisheng, and then we can reach Taiyuan."

"That's right. Yang Chang transferred the main force to Zezhou, so the two states in the rear must be empty. He killed my beloved general and son, and I want his family too. Blood debt must be paid with blood!"

While the two brothers were discussing, Xie Bao suddenly stood up and said angrily, "Father, I didn't make it yesterday. I am willing to be in the front when we attack Lijialing later."

"I will consider."

Nianhan patted Xiebao on the shoulder and thought to himself that he was my only son, so I might as well keep him by my side.

Lin Chong, I will deal with it myself!

After staying in the camp in the southern part of Lingchuan for half a day and confirming that the army was stationed at the entrance of the valley west of the ridge, Nianhan asked Alan to continue to stay in charge and sent generals to set up camp at the entrance of the valley east of the ridge, strictly ordering them not to attack without authorization, and then led the army to Lijialing.

The Jin army marched through Lingchuan in a swagger, seemingly provoking the defenders watching from the city walls.

After hearing this, Lu Junyi arrived at the top of the city wall and saw tens of thousands of Jin troops heading north. Most of the soldiers besieging the city had also withdrawn. He then said to Yan Qing, "Nianhan is besieging Lingchuan but not attacking it. Instead, he has been moving troops northwards. Could it be that he wants to bypass us? If he crosses Lijialing and heads north directly, wouldn't Luzhou be in danger?"

"What do you mean, brother?"

"Can Xiaoyi defend Lingchuan by himself? I will lead a team of troops out of the city to harass."

"No!"

Yan Qing interrupted Lu Junyi before he finished speaking: "Nianhan is full of tricks. If this is his trick to confuse the enemy, it would be dangerous for my brother to send troops rashly. The outside affairs should be handed over to Yang Taiwei and Lin Zongguan. I believe they can handle it." "But we just watch and feel bad, as if we didn't contribute anything."

"Brother, you killed the enemy in Lingchuan and delayed the Jin army's attack. How can you say you didn't contribute? Besides, as long as Lingchuan is not lost, Nianhan must leave troops to contain it, which is also a contribution in disguise."

"Well, what you said makes sense."

Lu Junyi didn't want to make a contribution. He found his value under Yang Chang. He wanted to go into battle many times in the past few days, but was persuaded by Yan Qing in the end.

If it were a year ago, when the two were still in a master-servant relationship, Yan Qing would certainly not be able to persuade them, but now that their status is equal, Lu Junyi has to be cautious.

Lu Junyi had a basic knowledge of military tactics. Looking at the Jin troops that were heading north one after another, he hoped from the bottom of his heart that Yang Chang and Lin Chong could hold on. If they could hold out until Nianhan ran out of food, it would not be impossible to defeat the 100,000 Jin troops. Maybe they could even avenge their own shame in Hebei.

Lingchuan was besieged by the Jin army and was completely unaware of any news from the outside world.

Nianhan took advantage of this and used psychological warfare when fighting Lin Chong. However, Coach Lin was as steady as an old dog. No matter that Lingchuan was captured or Lu and Yan were captured and killed, they could not shake him and affect the morale of the army.

Since Yang Chang plotted to get rid of Gao Qiu, the paranoia in Lin Chong's character was corrected. He spent the rest of his life only living to repay his gratitude and would not be disturbed by the life and death of others.

If something really made Lin Chong nervous, perhaps only Yang Chang would be in danger, but Yang Chang's strength has surpassed his, so Lin Chong now has almost no flaws.

Of course, the Jin army mainly relied on strength to fight, and occasionally used strategies or diplomatic means as additional auxiliary means.

Therefore, when Nianhan fought in Lijialing, psychological warfare was just a seasoning, while the main course was the continuous and fierce attacks for several days.

Lin Chong relied on the terrain to block the attack and did not retreat in the face of Nianhan's fierce attack. Due to the narrow terrain and other factors, the scale of the war was effectively controlled. Even though there were certain casualties, they were all within the tolerable range.

Yang Chang had nothing to do on the southern front. He and Lu Zhishen were stationed at the entrance of the valley west of the ridge, while the Jin army set up defenses at the entrance of the valley east of the ridge. There was a 20-mile canyon in between, and neither side took the initiative to attack.

It was originally thought that since one road was blocked, Nianhan would continue to go south along the mountain and continue to circle back through various small paths. However, the scouts sent by Yang Chang found nothing. Instead, Lin Chong sent someone to report that he was fighting with the Jin people in Lijialing and the overall situation was under control.

Although Lin Chong told Yang Chang not to worry, as the commander-in-chief of a state's military, he liked to prepare for everything, so at the same time as informing Yang Chang, he also sent someone back to Luzhou to ask for reinforcements.

As for the rest of the troops in Zezhou, Lin Chong was unwilling to make arrangements on his behalf, as he thought that Nianhan might be making a feint to the east and attacking in the west, which would put more pressure on Yang Chang.

Yang Chang also hoped to put pressure on the enemy and eat them off bite by bite until the small amounts accumulated into a large amount and turned into a qualitative change. As a result, there was calm for several days, so calm that even Lu Zhishen wanted to go to Lijialing.

August 1st, early morning.

Yang Chang and others were having breakfast when they suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves outside the tent.

"I'll go take a look."

Lu Zhishen thought it was Lin Chong who delivered the message again, so he dodged and left the tent before Yang Chang.

His funny look made Wen Huanzhang laugh out loud: "Haha, Master is really restless. If the battle in Lijialing is really hard, you might as well let him take half of the troops to support. I have seen it in the past few days. With the Taiwei in charge here, the Jin army in the east of the Lingdong area dare not provoke it at all."

"Since the master has persuaded you to plead for mercy, how can I not oblige you?"

Before Yang Chang finished speaking, he suddenly sensed a familiar aura outside the tent. He turned around and saw Qiu Qiongying.

"Didn't I tell you to wait for my order? Why did you come to Zezhou without permission?"

"Sir. Huh. Huh."

Seeing Qiu Qiongying gasping for breath, Wen Huanzhang stood up and handed over the water bag, saying, "Madam, drink some water and take a rest. Don't be anxious."

"Thank you sir."

Qiu Qiongying took two gulps and then slowly said, "My elder sister asked me to come."

"Something happened at home?"

When Yang Chang heard that it was Hu Sanniang who arranged it, his face fell and a bad premonition came to his mind.

"Yes and no."

Qiu Qiongying nodded and shook her head, and then explained: "Something happened in my second sister's family."

"Second sister's house?"

Yang Chang didn't react at first, but suddenly realized that his second sister's family was the royal family. He immediately asked curiously, "Isn't Bianliang City still intact? The princess..."

"Although Bianliang was not captured, the emperor was abducted, along with some concubines."

"what?"

As the news was too explosive, Yang Changqing couldn't help but exclaim in surprise and interrupted, thinking to himself, if I have lured away Nianhan's main force, how could the Jing Kang happen in this situation?

Wait, they managed to capture people without taking the city, what kind of a development is this?

Qiu Qiongying then added: "I heard that the emperor and his men were first tricked out of the city by the Jin people, and then they were detained."

"What about the emperor?"

Yang Chang interrupted excitedly again.

"The Emperor?" Qiu Qiongying was surprised and murmured, "He is still in the capital."

"That's it"

Yang Chang frowned and scratched his face, thinking, does this belong half to Jing Kang?
He suddenly realized that something was wrong. How come Weisheng knew about this important news first, which he himself didn't know? He showed a curious expression again.

“These messages, you are.”

"Have you forgotten, sir? My sister is in charge of the Sparrow Army."

"Hi there"

Yang Chang slapped his forehead, thinking, how could he forget about Gu Dasao? They were the spies they had sent out, and then he asked with a bitter smile, "Madam, you didn't go all the way here just to report the news, did you?"

"How could that be possible?" Qiu Qiongying shook her head and explained, "My second sister wanted to save her family, and my eldest sister couldn't persuade her, so she sent me to find the official."

"Princess, do you want to save your family?"

Yang Chang didn't know whether to laugh or cry after hearing this. He thought to himself that even if Huizong was behind enemy lines, he would have no worries about food and clothing. Why did he save him here? To let me use the emperor to control the princes?
Am I going to become Cao Cao?

"My second sister didn't do this for anyone else. She wanted to save her younger sister, Princess Xunde, who was also taken to the north."

"Princess Xunde?"

Yang Changyi was amazed when he heard this. The princess had mentioned her many times.

Zhao Fujin's mother has been dead for more than ten years. Among her brothers and sisters, she has the closest relationship with her younger sister Zhao Fujin. The princess who was abducted to the Jin Kingdom ended up miserably. Is her younger sister going to repeat her sister's fate?

Thinking of this, Yang Changdu felt that his sister-in-law should be saved, and then asked: "What's the situation now?"

"The second sister is a magical being, so it's impossible to stop her. The eldest sister used a delaying tactic and secretly ordered Sister Gu to return to Luzhou, so that the second sister could go first to find out the situation. If the master wants to persuade the second sister, he will have to leave Zezhou for a few days, and he will not know the military affairs here."

"Military affairs here?"

Yang Chang looked at Wen Huanzhang and Lu Zhishen and smiled silently, thinking that his buddies had been very dull these past few days.

Wen Huanzhang said, "Taiwei, if you have urgent business, please leave immediately. In the north, General Lin is guarding Lijialing. I will assist Master Lu in guarding this place. The Jin army is short of food and grass and cannot hold out for long. They may withdraw soon."

(End of this chapter)