Chapter 787: Troubles in the Armpits (I)

"Let go! Let go!" Feng Tianba, who was forced to leave the central army tent under Su He's strong pull, kept struggling, "Su He, we haven't explained what happened just now, why did you drag us out?"

"Confused!"

Su He dragged Liu Xunyi and the others to a secluded place and said worriedly, "You almost lost your lives just now, do you know?"

Liu Xunyi was unwilling to give up, and said in a deep voice: "You also saw what happened just now. Hu Lie and Wang Dechen played the good cop and the bad cop respectively. They are just trying to find an excuse to invade the three prefectures of the Song Dynasty."

"That's right!" Feng Tianba said angrily, "Since they have been eyeing our territory for a long time, why don't they go and grab it? Why do they have to be hypocritical and pretend to be open-minded in front of us?"

"Mongolia is indeed overbearing, but they are not bandits after all. They must have a legitimate reason to deploy troops and capture cities and territories, so that they can last long. If they invade other countries' territories without reason, wouldn't they invite criticism and make enemies in the world?" Li Haitang said bitterly, "This Prince Hu Lie has indeed studied the military books of our Han people, and he is indeed well versed in the routine of 'openly repairing the plank road and secretly crossing Chencang'. No matter whether it is Brother Liu or someone else who came today, as long as they are wearing the title of 'Song Dynasty's envoys', they will make up excuses and use the topic to make a fuss. What about the bloody case in Yunya Town, what about the wrongful death of 800 soldiers, what about the failure to track down the real culprit, what about asking for an explanation... All of them are excuses. What they really care about is not 'Yunya Town' at all, but Xingyuan, Xiangyang and Jiankang."

"The three prefectures are located along the east-west vein of the southern Qinhuai line," Feng Tianba analyzed. "If they are allowed to occupy them, it would be equivalent to pushing Mongolia's strategic depth southward by hundreds of miles. At that time, the Jingbei camp stationed in Hexi could march straight in, and station troops in Xingyuan, Xiangyang and Jiankang respectively in the west, middle and east. The western army would be eyeing Sichuan and Shu, the central army would be swallowing up Jingxiang, and as for the eastern army... it would be in a high position, approaching the imperial city of Lin'an. Once the war started, the three armies would move together, and the Song Dynasty would be cut off from east and west, unable to take care of both ends. The military and food routes would all fall into the hands of the enemy, and the army would inevitably be defeated. The Mongolian cavalry could break through Lin'an in a few days. Once the court fell, how could the country survive?"

Feng Tianba was born on the battlefield, so his analysis and understanding of the overall situation of the war far exceeds that of Liu Xunyi and others.

"I never expected the evil intentions of Hu Lie and Wang Dechen." Liu Xunyi suddenly realized something and felt very nervous. He turned to Su He and said, "Brother Su, I know your difficulties and I don't want to embarrass you. At the moment, it seems that the marriage is far from being as smooth as you and I imagined, and the peace between the two countries is not as simple as we expected. Although I hope to cease fighting and bring peace to the world, the conditions proposed by Hu Lie... I will never compromise!"

"Brother Liu, I hope you can tell me honestly, if you and the prince refuse to give in, will you... persist in a stalemate with the prince with the belief of sacrificing your life for the country, or even... perish together with the prince?"

Faced with Su He's questioning, Liu Xunyi was stunned.

Although he knew that Su He was not a treacherous person, there was a difference between the two of them. Su He was loyal to him, but he was equally loyal to Hu Lie and Wang Dechen.

In such a situation, how could Liu Xunyi reveal his true thoughts to him?
Seeing Liu Xunyi's cautious expression and his reluctance to speak, Su He gradually understood his concerns. His expression darkened and he nodded slowly: "If you don't want to say it, Su won't force you. But I must remind you, no matter what you have in mind, you must not have any ideas about attacking the prince and General Wang here, because you can't hurt them at all."

"We all have one life, and at most one will die..."

"Death?" Su He interrupted Feng Tianba's passionate speech, "Do you know how many swordsmen were lurking outside the tent just now?"

"So what?" Li Haitang said, "As long as we move fast enough, the people outside the tent won't be able to catch up..."

"Fast?" Su He's eyes narrowed, and he asked meaningfully, "Can you be faster than Su's knife?"

"This……"

"Let's not talk about the swordsmen outside the tent, just look at Long Yu, Ya Kun, Yin Zhan and the prince's personal guards inside the tent, which one of them is easy to deal with?" Su He advised earnestly, "What's more, the prince and General Wang are both experienced warriors, and ordinary masters can't get close to them at all."

"What do you mean?" Feng Tianba asked in a bad tone, "Threat us? Or... do you want to be our enemy too?"

Hearing this, Su He's brows gradually showed a trace of entanglement. He then turned his complicated gaze to the silent Liu Xunyi, and his tone became more melancholy: "Su will not threaten you, nor will he deceive you. If anyone dares to harm the prince and General Wang, no matter who it is...Su will not stand idly by."

Although Liu Xunyi had expected this, when he actually heard these words, he still couldn't suppress the deep disappointment and sadness that welled up in his heart.

Su He seemed reluctant and explained: "In fact, Su does not want the prince to hurt you, nor does he want you to hurt the prince. I hope Brother Liu will understand the difficulties..."

"Brother Su, you don't have to do this. I understand your difficulties."

Liu Xunyi was first "discarded like a worn-out shoe" by Zhao Xin, then coerced and bribed by Hu Lie and Wang Dechen, and now severely warned by his most respected and trusted brother. It can be said that there are three flavors in a day, each one more bitter, more difficult, and more unbearable than the last...

Even though he was filled with sorrow, he still pretended to be strong.

After all, Liu Xunyi came here on behalf of the Song Dynasty. Being a stranger in a foreign land, he could not be discouraged or give up on himself, whether for the sake of the Song Dynasty or for the friends around him.

Failure in peace talks is not scary, being fooled is not scary, and even being imprisoned is not scary. What is really scary is to be afraid before the battle and to have no courage at all.

Liu Xunyi is undoubtedly the backbone of Feng Tianba, Li Haitang and others. If he loses his way, none of these people will be able to leave alive.

"Forget it!" Liu Xunyi collected his thoughts, and seemed unwilling to dwell too much with Su He on the issue of Hu Lie, so he changed the subject and asked with concern, "Brother Su, I wonder how the princess is doing now?"

"We have entered the prince's camp. The princess...is no longer someone we can easily approach." Su He reminded, "Right now, among all of you, only Miss Pan can freely enter and leave the princess's tent. But you don't have to worry. Although the prince is a little...strong towards you, he will never be harsh to the princess."

"Oh!" Liu Xunyi felt bitter in his heart, but pretended to be nonchalant on the surface, "When will the marriage ceremony between the prince and the princess be held?"

"The prince is busy with military affairs and has a lot of things to do every day. It is expected that he will not stay in Helin for too long. Therefore, the marriage ceremony should not be delayed, and may be held in the next few days."

"Then cede the three prefectures..." "Ahem!" Before Feng Tianba could ask, Liu Xunyi suddenly interrupted, "We are a little tired after running around for days. Please, Brother Su, arrange for us to rest."

"Come with me!"

Su He knew that Liu Xunyi was wary of him, but he didn't say it out loud. He led them deeper into the camp.

At the same time, Long Yu, accompanied by Ya Kun, came to the execution place, obeyed Hu Lie's order, and took the initiative to receive a hundred military sticks.

No one dared to cheat in Hu Lie's army, so after a hundred blows of military sticks, even a master like Long Yu was beaten to a pulp with skin torn and blood flowing.

From the afternoon to dusk, Long Yu had been lying in his tent recovering from his injuries. Ya Kun stood guard beside him, staring angrily at Long Yu's bloody back with his big copper bell eyes, and his throat occasionally emitted bursts of angry roars.

"Is General Long in the tent?"

As it was getting dark, a feminine voice sounded from outside the tent, which suddenly perked up the drowsy Long Yu.

He could tell that the owner of the voice was Ding Qinghong, who came with Liu Xunyi but was taciturn and low-key along the way.

"What can I do for you?" Long Yu went straight to the point, with no intention of exchanging pleasantries with Ding Qinghong.

"There is a small matter... After much thought, I think I should tell General Long."

Hearing this, a trace of suspicion flashed in Long Yu's eyes. He stood up, casually put on a cloak to cover the shocking scars, and said, "Come in and talk."

Stepping into the big tent, Ding Qinghong frowned at the strong smell of medicine. He covered his mouth and nose with his hands, and looked around the tent with a pair of bright eyes. He walked to Long Yu slowly and saluted, saying, "Greetings, General Long..."

"What's the matter? Tell me!"

Long Yu took the medicine handed to him by Ya Kun and drank it all in one gulp without even looking at Ding Qinghong from beginning to end.

"I wonder if General Long is interested in Liu Xunyi's secret?"

"Huh?" Long Yu raised his eyebrows, as if Ding Qinghong had aroused his curiosity.

Seeing this, Ding Qinghong showed a smug look on his face, pretending to be mysterious and said: "Liu Xunyi offended General Long in the past, and today he offended the prince and General Wang. This kind of person is arrogant and conceited, and doesn't know what is good for him. He really shouldn't live in this world. I wonder if General Long thinks so too?"

"Don't beat around the bush in front of me." Long Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, and his tone was quite unfriendly.

"I dare not!" Ding Qinghong said modestly, "In fact, Su He also knows Liu Xunyi's secret, but they once threatened me privately that if I dare to tell General Long about this matter, they will be rude to me. It is none of my business, so I shouldn't say anything, and I don't want to cause trouble for myself. But after meeting the prince today, I was deeply impressed by his heroism. When I think of this matter involving the prince's reputation, my heart can't help but feel a little pain. Therefore, even if I risk my life, I can't bear to continue to pretend to be deaf and dumb."

"Is Liu Xunyi's secret related to the prince?" Long Yu's eyes changed, and he was doubtful.

"There was a turmoil in Yunya Town, and thousands of capable soldiers died tragically. Why was the frail princess safe and sound?" Ding Qinghong asked in a veiled manner, "How could a weak woman escape the ambush of the thieves? Doesn't General Long have any doubts about this?"

Long Yu recalled: "I heard from Su He that... Liu Xunyi risked his life to protect him."

"At a critical moment, everyone was running for their lives, but Liu Xunyi risked his own life to protect the princess, and even risked his own life several times. Could it be... just because he was the 'marriage envoy'?"

"This..." Long Yu was shocked and looked suspicious.

"General Long, why don't you think about it again? Why did Liu Xunyi risk his life to disobey your arrangements when we were in Jingbei Camp? Why did he react so strongly when you mentioned the princess' illness? Why did Liu Xunyi always feel upset when you sent a maid to pack the princess's luggage, and why did he confront General Long all the way? Also, all the way from Jingbei Camp, Liu Xunyi and the princess were almost inseparable. He took care of the princess even more considerately and meticulously than Pan Yuyin, and sometimes... he didn't even avoid the difference between men and women."

"Go on!" At this moment, Long Yu had gradually guessed the clues, and his face became more and more gloomy and terrifying.

"Yes!" Ding Qinghong's expression changed, and he suddenly took two steps back. He bowed to Long Yu, whose face was as gloomy as water, and said with a solemn oath, "The truth is that Liu Xunyi and the princess are childhood sweethearts. As early as when they were in Lin'an, they had already... fallen in love with each other. Liu Xunyi was not originally in the wedding procession this time. It was Su He and the princess who joined forces to help Liu Xunyi take the position of 'Song Dynasty's Marriage Envoy'. The fundamental purpose was that the princess wanted to save Liu Xunyi's life and prevent him from staying in the Central Plains and being hunted down by various people from the Jianghu."

"Are you serious about this?" Long Yu clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth, "If you dare to lie to me..."

"I swear to heaven, this is absolutely true!" Ding Qinghong said confidently, filled with righteous indignation, "Liu Xunyi and the princess violated the laws of nature and morality, disregarded the emperor's orders and laws, and had an ambiguous relationship with each other. They committed immoral acts, which are intolerable to heaven and earth and condemned by both humans and gods! If General Long cannot bear to see the prince being humiliated and wants to expose their affair, although I am a Han Chinese like Liu Xunyi, I am willing to confront Liu Xunyi face to face for the sake of justice and prove the truth!"

……

(End of this chapter)