Chapter 174: Peeling off the cocoon
It was windy and snowy. In the huge government hall of Youzhou Jiedushi, there was only a dying candle flickering. The light flickered, reflecting the different expressions of each person.

Li Zhen covered his face with a handkerchief and kept coughing. He sat in the brightest place and wrote at his desk.

But it was obvious that his thoughts were disturbed from time to time by the wailing of the wounded soldiers outside, and then he had to think for a while before he could put pen to paper again.

On the side, the staff bowed and waited, but his face was a little pale.

Different from the past, when he always worked for Lord Li, he just looked like a scholar, but now, he was rarely wearing armor, real iron armor, which could be said to protect himself tightly.

But even so, he still felt panicked because of the fear of the unknown. He seemed to want to say something but hesitated. However, he did not dare to make a sound to disturb Li Zhen. He was in a dilemma and felt very aggrieved.

Next to him, Lu Yan, who was also wearing iron armor, was much calmer. Although he was also a scholar, he had defended Cangzhou with Sun He and had personally led troops on the battlefield. As a genuine man of Yan, if we were to boast, he could write and ride a horse, which was enough to describe him as a man of both civil and military talents.

He did not despise the aide. After all, who would not be worried about what was about to happen...

Finally, Li Zhen stamped his name on the fine rice paper, solemnly named the name, then picked up a dagger, fiercely slashed his thumb, and pressed a bloody fingerprint on the name.

Finally, he packed up the talisman that represented his tour of inspection on behalf of the emperor and the several pages of documents, then stood up tremblingly, coughing as he handed the documents to Lu Yan with both hands.

Lu Yan bent down to take it, then sewed it solemnly between the linings under his armor. Finally, he hesitated for a moment and sighed. All words, whether they were sarcastic or something else, just turned into this sigh, and he could say nothing. He grasped the hilt of the knife at his waist, turned around, and remained silent.

Li Zhenzi was also a little embarrassed. He had people kidnap Lu Yan's family and threaten them to work for him. However, let alone controlling the Yichang Army, he didn't even have time to say a few more words to Lu Yan before the situation had deteriorated to this point. The outer city of Youzhou fell, and the inner city was also not safe. More than 40% of the two to three thousand defenders were killed in the battle, and the city was already on the verge of collapse.

Even so, he still wanted Lu Yan to work for him.

However, he still took the lead in instructing his staff, saying in a hoarse voice: "If you can follow General Lu to get out of Youzhou, you must avoid Lutai (Tianjin). Remember, don't go straight to Cangzhou. Remember, remember, you must go south through Lutai and take the sea water.

There are several towns in the south. If my guess is correct, they should all be controlled by Xiao Yan. No matter if you go through Cangzhou or Yingzhou to Weizhou, you may fall into his hands. Lutai is next to the East China Sea and is a fishing village. There is no need to find a harbor. As long as you go to the sea, you will be safe..."

The staff member could not help but feel fearful, and said with trembling lips: "I will obey Lord Li's orders..."

Li Zhen certainly knew that this aide was afraid of death, and with more than 100,000 Yan troops outside the city, the chances of them breaking out were terribly slim, but he had no other choice. If he could have figured out the key point earlier, he might have been able to turn the situation around. However, it was too late now, and he could only try to remedy the situation.

He pondered for a moment, and continued, "If you can return to Bianliang with this last work of mine, remember, the first thing you can do is to find the Dark Emperor and give the thing to him. He knows how to do it..."

The staff member suppressed his trembling thighs and whispered, "Can the Dark Emperor threaten Xiao Yan?"

"As long as the Dark Emperor thoroughly investigates the Luoyang branch during the Luoyang mutiny a year ago, Xiao Yan's evidence will naturally surface..." Li Zhen covered his mouth and coughed, "Cough cough cough... And, there is also the case of the Caozhou bad guys kidnapping the deposed emperor..."

His face was pale and ugly. This was the sequelae of the mental fatigue and physical collapse caused by the huge blow. In addition, he had not slept well or eaten well in recent days, and he looked like he had aged ten years.

However, he continued to force himself to stay alert, and carefully instructed: "Like Prince Jun Zhu Youzhen, Cui Yu of Xuanming Sect, Saint Yan Jun Liu Cheng, Xuanming Sect Caozhou Branch, etc... After thinking about it these days, I have already noticed something wrong, and I have written it all down in this book. As long as it is sent to the hands of the Underworld Emperor, even if Xiao Yan does it perfectly, there will always be flaws... cough cough cough..."

"Remember, you must go find the Hades first. No matter who wants to see you, you must first see the Hades. Even if it's His Majesty, don't believe it for now..."

"We will follow Lord Li's wishes." The aide smiled a smile that was uglier than crying.

Li Zhen waved his hand, took two breaths, and then looked at Lu Yan again.

"General Lu..."

Lu Yan did not answer, but just bowed slightly.

Li Zhen smiled bitterly and said, "I know you have resentment in your heart, but I can swear that I will treat your family members well and will never harm them. If you can facilitate this matter, you can reunite with your family in Bianliang..."

Lu Yan smiled coldly, "According to what Lord Li said, if it doesn't work out, will I never see them again?"

The former did not answer, which was considered as his tacit agreement.

But this question was meaningless, and Lu Yan knew that it was useless to ask. He had to work hard for Li Zhen, and Sun He knew it. Although he didn't know what Sun He was thinking, the Yichang Army would definitely not be able to go back.

Even if he did not risk his life to break through and deliver the letter for Li Zhen, when the Yan army attacked in two days, he might not die because of his old friendship with Liu Shouwen as a former subject. However, if he fell into the hands of the Yan army, he would never have the chance to see his family in this life, and the rest of his life would probably be like this, and he would never have the chance to make any further progress.

In that case, we might as well give it a try.

According to Mr. Li, if one could meet the Hades, not only would the family be reunited, but one could also have a bright future. This seems to be better than sitting here and waiting to die.

Lu Yan calmed down and said with a serious expression, "Is it true as Lord Li said, that as long as I enter the Central Plains, I can see my family safely?"

Li Zhen nodded and said in a hoarse voice, "As long as you show the token to the officials of a state or town in the Central Plains, at least no one can touch you openly. You just need to protect this letter and cooperate with my staff to hand it over to the Underworld Emperor, and all great things will be possible."

He closed his eyes and rested for a while, muttering, "As long as he is in the hands of the Dark Emperor, Xiao Yan will be cautious and I will have room to mediate with him. Xiao Yan is ambitious and has great plans. He should know how to make choices... What good can he get by hurting himself in order to kill me?"

After hearing this, Lu Yan did not ask any more questions. He held the hilt of the knife solemnly and said in a cold voice: "Since this is the case, if for no other reason than to fight against this Xiao Jiedu, I will risk my life to deliver this letter to Bianliang!"

Li Zhen opened his eyes and held Lu Yan's hands.

"I now entrust my life and property to General Lu. If I am lucky enough to survive, I will be able to share wealth and honor with General Lu."

Lu Yan did not answer, but just straightened his helmet and put it on with a solemn look.

Li Zhen didn't say much. He gave a few more words to the aide and called in a group of trusted generals who were also wearing helmets and armor.

"The rise and fall of Hebei depends on the three of you."

Lu Yan and the general were of course serious, but they would die. Fortune and honor are achieved through risk. In this era, how can one obtain fortune and honor if one does not live by risking one's life?

The staff looked as if their mother had just died. Before leaving, the energy they had finally built up faded again. They pleaded in a low voice, "Mr. Li, I am just a scholar who has never held a sword in forty years. How can I rush out? Even if I die, I want to serve you until the last moment. Why don't you entrust this urgent matter to General Zhu..."

"I don't believe Zhu Hanbin." Li Zhen said bluntly: "Although he did me a favor in Luoyang, I have been thinking about Luoyang's affairs these days, and I am afraid he also played a role in it."

The staff was stunned, and then whispered in disbelief: "Isn't General Zhu also a member of the Dark Emperor? Why does Lord Li suspect him?"

"Before Zhu Hanbin came to Luoyang, he was the governor of Caozhou. I am a person involved in this matter. I have consulted the files several times this year. Now I can naturally find some clues by connecting them with Xiao Yan." Li Zhen sneered and said, "Zhu Hanbin joined the Dark Emperor's sect when he was in Luoyang. And I remember very clearly that when the mutiny was suppressed, it was Zhu Hanbin who led the imperial guards to rescue me in the first time.

But I have always been suspicious. How could he, a governor of Caozhou, mobilize the imperial guards? Moreover, even the Hades Emperor didn't know about the mutiny at that time. Although the news he got later was that he obeyed the order of Prince Jun, Zhu Hanbin and Prince Jun were not very close. Why was he entrusted with such an important task by Prince Jun? This puzzle has never been solved, but now as long as everything is linked to Xiao Yan, perhaps there will be an answer... Xiao Yan was introduced to the court as an official by Prince Jun after the Luoyang disaster... Hehe, thinking about it this way, it is really a natural outcome..."

The staff was greatly surprised.

Lü Yan, who was standing beside him, frowned and interrupted, "It seems that the person Lord Li wants to deal with is this Prince Jun. And this Xiao Jiedu is just a pawn of Prince Jun?"

Li Zhen shook his head, but he didn't know what the relationship between Xiao Yan and Zhu Youzhen was, so he just smiled coldly.

"So as long as you can return to Bianliang, everything will fall apart. Xiao Yan tried his best to please His Majesty, and he was willing to let himself be labeled as a jester, just to establish this lonely minister character. If he really had any connection with Prince Jun, His Majesty would naturally be constantly suspicious of him. His Majesty is suspicious, and he can see that Xiao Yan is nurturing an enemy, but he just doesn't want to admit it. However, if this view is broken, all of Xiao Yan's golden bodies will fall apart. And if he really has any connection with Prince Jun, the Hades will definitely try his best to deal with him."

There was a cold look on his face: "The Dark Emperor will not allow any clan king to pose a real threat to him..."

Lu Yan fell silent. He had always been a minister of Yan, and a lower-middle class one at that. How could he have been exposed to these things? He would never have thought that Daliang, which seemed to dominate the world, had been so treacherous and full of factional struggles within its borders after only three years of establishment.

Yes, seeing Li Zhen's miserable appearance in recent days, he almost forgot that this Lord Li, who was tortured to death by Xiao Yan in Youzhou and plotted against everywhere, was one of the top ministers in Daliang, a purple-robed official who was able to influence the political situation in the court and was naturally well aware of the party struggles.

If Xiao Yan hadn't been making things difficult for him, if Li Zhenruo had been successful in Hebei, he would have been extremely honored after returning to Bianliang, right?

I wonder if he would regret provoking Xiao Yan, or if he would regret coming to Hebei...

Lu Yan looked at Li Zhen deeply, his eyes filled with a trace of pity. He was just a surrendered man, almost the same as a commoner. It was no big deal if he died.

Li Zhen will almost reach the end of his career as a minister. He holds authority that others can only look up to, but he can only watch helplessly as everything he has is calculated against and taken away from him... This feeling is perhaps more difficult to describe than death.

But even if Li Zhen can get through this difficulty, it may be difficult for him to recover in the future. The main reason why Youzhou City was broken was that Li Zhen forced 6,000 Dingba troops to go out of the city to fight against more than 100,000 Yan troops, which led to the Yan army taking advantage of the situation to seize the city and enter. This was seen and heard by countless people, and it cannot be washed away.

Although Lu Yan knew that Li Zhen wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to suppress Yu Zhong, the commander of Dingbadu, but who could have expected that Xiao Yan would actually dare to let Youzhou be taken away by the Yan army.

He really dares...

If the Yan army enters the city and finds that there is no baggage, money, or food in the city, they will surely riot and cause chaos. Who can control them? And how can they be controlled?

Lu Yan was unable to think about it carefully. Given his position, he certainly could not guess what the Jiedu Xiao, whom he had never met before, was thinking.

Not only are your words looked down upon by those in low positions, but even the highest point you can see is just the bottom of other people's feet.

But now, although Li Zhen has no chance of recovery, he can take advantage of this dangerous opportunity, step on Li Gong's head, and try his best to climb up to a position that everyone can look up to.

Whether it is Sun He, Liu Shouwen, or Xiao Jiedu who is the mastermind of the disaster in Yanyun, he can only look up to them now, and he is afraid that he does not even have the qualifications to be their opponent.

But one day, he will be equal to them!
Xiao Yan has such incredible luck, doesn’t Lu Yanyan have it?

Everything depends on human efforts, even death is the only thing that matters!

Lu Yan touched his chest where the documents were, took a deep breath, bowed to Li Zhen, picked up his staff and walked out.

"With the situation like this, how can you be afraid of death? Don't worry, you will never die in battle before I die!"

The staff just cried loudly: "Mr. Li, I am leaving now..."

In a moment, his figure was covered by hundreds of imperial guards wearing helmets and armor, and they led their horses to the backyard of the governor's mansion. There was a buried tunnel there, which had been cleared after several days of excavation.

Although no one knows where it leads to, the tunnel is very wide and large, and it must have taken many years to dig it out. It is even big enough for horses to pass through. Li Zhen specially asked an old servant from the Jiedushi Mansion about it. It was said that this tunnel was dug by Liu Rengong so that he could escape at any time after Li Keyong broke into the city. It is said that the farthest it leads to is Gaoliang River.

No matter what, this is the last chance to break out from the siege of more than 100,000 Yan troops. We should give it a try.

Nearly a hundred riders were the best candidates chosen after careful consideration. Too many people would make it easy to be discovered, and too few people would be unsafe. A hundred riders was just the right size.

Until everyone had entered the passage and two messengers responsible for reporting the news followed, Li Zhen just watched and remained silent.

Although he didn't know why Lu Yan looked at him with such a strange look just now, he could vaguely guess that he was pitying him? Looking down on him?
Oh, this Lu Yan is indeed a talent. If they had met face to face earlier, Li Zhen might have promoted him to his side, but it is too late now.

If Lu Yanruo didn't have any ability, Li Zhen really wouldn't dare to give this task to him.

Only ambitious people can create miracles.

For example, Xiao Yan. Li Zhen would never have taken such a person seriously a year ago, but he made such a great contribution and seized this one-in-a-million opportunity.

But Xiao Yan is more than just lucky...

Li Zhen covered his handkerchief with his hands and started coughing violently again, but underneath the handkerchief, there was only a sneer on the corner of his mouth.

He wanted to see whether Lu Yan could perform a miracle.

After a moment, he strode out and ordered in a deep voice, "Call Zhu Hanbin and tell him to find a way to contact the Yichang Army in the East City to raise the morale. How can we just sit there and wait to die?!"

He never really thought about dying, so all that last letter and so on were just empty talk.

As long as the things can be delivered to the Hades, as long as they can be delivered to him...

As long as Lu Yan and others break out, he will immediately negotiate with Xiao Yan.

He could admit defeat, but that would also make Xiao Yan afraid to touch him.

Game, game.

You boy, how did you know that I could use a killing move against you at this last moment?

(End of this chapter)