My father, King Chu, was besieged at Gaixia

Chapter 111 Good and Bad News
What does the King of Linjiang's confession mean? How could General Huang Jizhong, who deals with donkeys all day, not know the temper of donkeys? He was furious and refused to give in: "If it's not him, it must be his generals. He just arrived today, and his generals can completely disguise themselves as a caravan and enter Jiangling a few days in advance."

"You're getting more and more ridiculous." Captain Gong was displeased. "Then what about the attack on Master Xiang Chang today? It can't be that he attacked himself, right?"

Huang Jizhong was so angry that his chest almost exploded, and he was about to say "he planned all this", at this time a horseman came galloping from the direction of the city's guesthouse, jumped off the horse, and hurriedly asked to see the King of Linjiang. It turned out to be Zhuang Rong, the chief guest of Linjiang Kingdom.

King Gongwei of Linjiang frowned, not understanding what was going on.

"Your Majesty, the envoys from the Yelang Kingdom have disappeared from the guesthouse." A thin man with sparse and messy beard and solemn eyebrows, he separated from the guards, rushed forward, and reported in a panic, breathlessly.

"What do you mean by missing?" Gong Wei asked in surprise.

"Yes, it's gone. I just went to pay a routine visit to the Yelang Kingdom envoys and found that the guesthouse where they were staying was empty." Zhuang Rong gave a divine assist and looked at the general with a bitter face. He said, "And I heard that there was a line of blood written in the general's mansion, 'It was the Yelang envoys who wiped out General Huang Jizhong's entire family.'"

"What? You thieves, it turned out they were the ones who did it! Ji Jiang, quickly send people to chase them, we can't let them get away, we must capture them and bring us back to give an explanation to the general." Captain Gong suddenly realized something, and without hesitation, he gave the order angrily.

A tall and fat general with bulging eyes and yellow beard came out, bowed and took the order, then hurriedly reorganized his troops and rushed out to give chase.

Gong Wei turned to General Huang Jizhong and said to him, "General, we have found the real culprit. It turned out to be the envoys from Yelang. It is better for you to return home to mourn. I will issue an imperial decree later. When we find out who is responsible for the Yelang envoys, we will hand them over to you for punishment."

How could Huang Jizhong believe it? Originally, he wanted to kill Xiang Chang and his party, and then put the blame on the Yelang envoys. Now that his whole family was killed, they were also blamed. The smell of conspiracy was overflowing. But in the current situation, it was obvious that the commander of the Gong would never allow him to kill Xiang Chang's child in the street. If he continued to make trouble, it would only make him embarrassed.

Huang Jizhong's eyes were like those of a ferocious beast. He stared at Xiang Chang for a few seconds, then turned around and left abruptly without saying a word.

Not long after, General Huang Jizhong led 600 soldiers and returned to the mansion with the same aggressiveness as when they came.

Xiang Chang watched the expression on King Linjiang's face and said coldly, "This great general is so arrogant and fierce. Not only did he blame me for the murder of my family, but he also doesn't seem to respect you, the king."

The two chubby cheeks of the King of Linjiang suddenly drooped down, and he glanced at Xiang Chang: "The general's whole family has died, so it's understandable that he is in a bad mood. As for you, Master Chang, after you recover from your injuries, please return the same way you came."

King Linjiang almost said "Linjiang Kingdom does not welcome you" before he waved his sleeves and headed back to the palace.

Not far away, Linjiang Wang Gongwei spoke excitedly from the carriage, instructing Zhongjuan Wuxin to quickly summon Grand Marshal Chu Licuo to the palace.

Zhongjuan Wu Xin responded and immediately rode a horse to the residence of Grand Marshal Chu Licuo to deliver the order. Grand Marshal Chu Licuo was handling government affairs at his residence. He did not dare to neglect the order and changed into court clothes and immediately took a carriage to the palace.

When they arrived at the palace, Chu Licuo was led to the main hall of the palace by Zhongjuan Wu Xin, and saw Gong Wei sitting on a brocade couch, absent-mindedly watching the singing and dancing performances of dozens of charming girls.

Seeing Grand Marshal Chu Licuo coming, Gong Wei immediately perked up, waved his hand to drive away Ji Nu and the musicians, stood up and walked to Chu Licuo, swung his two wide sleeves, suppressed his emotions, and said with a gloomy face: "Grand Marshal, I have bad news to tell you. Today, General Huang Jizhong met with misfortune and was killed by a group of thugs. His entire family was wiped out."

Grand Marshal Chu Licuo was short and fat, wrapped in a colorful brocade robe. He had a thin face, a pointed nose, a pair of round eyes that were dark yellow, and sparse, dry hair that was barely tied into a bun on top of his head. At first glance, he looked like a hen with a phoenix head.

Hearing what Linjiang Wang Gongwei said, he was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "This is great news for the king, right?"

Gong Wei suddenly raised his head and laughed loudly, "The one who knows my heart is the Grand Marshal. It's a pity that the Grand Marshal didn't see this good show with his own eyes. Looking at Huang Jizhong's furious look at that time, the only regret in my heart is, why did you miss him?"

The entire family of an important official of the kingdom was exterminated, but Gong Wei, as the king, was not angry at all, but overjoyed. Chu Licuo was not surprised at Gong Wei's behavior, which was absolutely not like that of a king. It was obvious that the two of them had privately scolded Huang Jizhong countless times in the past.

Captain Gong's smile faded, his fat face darkened again, and he said angrily: "This guy is so arrogant and domineering, how can he still look down on me, the king? He has occupied the position of general for many years, and no matter how many times I have given clear orders and hints, he just pretended to be deaf and dumb and remained indifferent. Humph, if this continues, the army of Linjiang Kingdom will be named Huang instead of Gong!"

Grand Marshal Chu Licuo frowned and said, "The general's mansion has a large number of private soldiers and is well protected. How could someone kill the entire family? Is there such a powerful force in Jiangling City?"

Gong Wei snorted coldly, "I asked Huang Jizhong the same question, but he didn't say anything after a long while. In my opinion, he was probably persuaded by the Han envoy to dispatch all the family guards in an attempt to launch a surprise attack on the Chu envoys, thus giving those with ulterior motives an opportunity to take advantage of it."

Chu Licuo blinked his yellow eyes and trembled his sparse white eyebrows: "So, General Huang Jizhong originally wanted to raid the Chu envoys, but he didn't expect that the raid failed and his own lair was robbed instead. He lost more than he gained? - Has your Majesty found out who did this?"

"Huang Jizhong accused the Great Chu envoys of being responsible, but the Great Chu envoys were also attacked when they entered the city, and especially Young Master Xiang Chang was seriously injured."

Chu Li Cuo Shi laughed and said, "The thief cries thief? Then this eldest son Xiang Chang is really a character." Gong Wei nodded, took a sip of the wine, and said leisurely, "Huang Jizhong's whole family died, and they are more anxious than anyone else. Since they have determined that it was the work of the Great Chu envoys, they will definitely not let it go. But even if Xiang Chang really did it, he must not be allowed to die in Linjiang. The Grand Marshal might as well go and see him and ask him to get out. After he agrees, you might as well secretly pass the message to Huang Jizhong and ask him to wait at the border. When Xiang Chang leaves Linjiang Kingdom, he can take revenge however he wants."

Chu Licuo's eyes lit up, he raised his thumb and praised Gong Wei: "Your Majesty, this move of killing someone with a borrowed knife is extremely brilliant."

"Xiang Chang is so arrogant that he is the son of a tyrant. He is so rude to me that he deserves death. No one other than me is allowed to exist in Jiangling City." The cold words of the lieutenant revealed an inexplicable murderous intent. "Also, check which guys in Jiangling City have defected to him. Without an insider, he could not have wiped out Huang Jizhong's entire family so accurately."

General Huang Jizhong returned to the mansion with six hundred personal guards full of resentment. Shusun Tong, who stayed in the mansion, had already taken money and goods from the warehouse, and called all the disciples he brought with him to the guesthouse to help. He also recruited some slaves and helpers, and put all the corpses in the mansion in coffins, stored them in the backyard, and placed offerings, waiting for General Huang Jizhong to offer sacrifices.

In addition, the mansion was cleaned inside and out, and the blood was washed away with clean water.

Huang Jizhong's entire family was killed. Due to limited time, all the gold, silver, and jewelry in the warehouse were looted. However, many heavy items such as brocade, silk, bronze tripods, and jade were left.

General Huang Jizhong changed into mourning clothes, walked to the backyard, and knelt down in front of the coffin of an old man, wailing loudly, crying until his heart was broken and his voice was hoarse.

As a Confucian scholar, the most important thing for him is the word "propriety". Presiding over weddings and funerals is something he is very good at, and it is completely within his professional scope. Shusun Tong was just there directing the servants in a very strict manner, with flags and drums, to ensure that the funeral of the general was conducted flawlessly. Everyone who saw it gave him a thumbs up and exclaimed, "Great job."

As for the appeasement edict sent by the king, and the ministers and generals who came to the court to express condolences after hearing the news, they were all received by Shusun Tong without any regrets, so that even though General Huang Jizhong's entire family died, he did not lose his manners.

After crying for a long time, Shusun Tong saw that Huang Jizhong had fully vented his emotions, so he stepped forward to help him up, and considerately helped him to sit down in a side hall where there were no dead bodies.

"General, what did the king say?" Shusun Tong saw Huang Jizhong's depressed look when he came back, and knew that he had returned empty-handed, so he asked.

"Captain Gong has long been dissatisfied with my control of the Northern Army for many years. Xiang Chang is the son of the Overlord, so he will never let me kill him to avenge me." After crying for a while, Huang Jizhong's emotions became much more stable. He sniffed, lowered his head and spoke in a muffled voice.

"Captain Gong is going too far!" Shusun Tong jumped up and cursed, "Do you still have eyes for you, the pillar of Linjiang Kingdom? Even if you are a bit nasty in normal times, shouldn't you unite against the outside world at this critical moment? Linjiang Kingdom is surrounded by foreign enemies. If the enemy attacks, won't we have to rely on the general to lead the army to fight? Can he lead the army to fight with his fat pig who can't ride a horse or carry a gun?"

The enemy who killed his entire family was right in front of him, but he couldn't avenge himself. Huang Jizhong was originally filled with grief and rage, and his chest almost exploded. Now, after hearing Shusun Tong's words, he became even more angry, and he pounded the documents in front of him with his fists, almost smashing them.

Shusun Tong's eyes were red, and he said viciously: "General, rebel, anyway, you control the Northern Army, and you have many subordinates in Jiangling City, and you will definitely respond to your call. Just start a mutiny, break into the palace, chop off the head of Gong Wei, and you will be the King of Linjiang, which is more glorious than being a marquis. Then you can kill Xiang Chang and avenge your hatred, which will be easy. Who dares to stop you?"

It must be said that Shusun Tong is indeed a wise old man who sees things clearly. As soon as Xiang Chang entered the city, he used the excuse of being attacked to not only take the initiative and meet Gong Wei, but also severely inflicted a heavy blow on Huang Jizhong, the general who had surrendered to the Han Dynasty. Faced with his extremely aggressive and fierce means, and recalling the many warnings from military advisor Zhang Liang to be careful of this kid, Shusun Tong's vigilance was immediately raised, and he kept thinking about how to break the situation.

Xiang Chang came to Linjiang Kingdom because he was attracted by the army and military supplies such as weapons and food. To put it bluntly, he needed a stable and prosperous Linjiang Kingdom that could continuously provide military supplies and food for the Chu army at Gaixia and support a powerful army. In this way, his actions became traceable. He just attacked the faction of the Linjiang Kingdom that surrendered to the Han Dynasty, and then won over the neutral faction to form a general trend, and finally persuaded or forced the King of Linjiang, Gong Wei, to surrender to Chu.

In this case, he naturally could not do as he wished and let Huang Jizhong directly raise the banner of rebellion, killing people and causing rivers of blood to flow. Regardless of whether the rebellion succeeded or not, it would drag the Linjiang Kingdom into war and turmoil, and Xiang Chang's plan would fail.

Faced with Shusun Tong's diligent encouragement and instigation, Huang Jizhong looked up at him, then thought about it, and after a while, shook his head dejectedly.

Shusun Tong was very anxious and couldn't understand why Huang Jizhong was still hesitant at this time. Now that his entire family had died and he was all alone with no burden to worry about, he was a perfect candidate for rebellion.

Just as Shusun Tong was about to persuade him again, Huang Jizhong waved his hand and said, "Don't mention this matter. - What have you found out?"

Shusun Tong swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth helplessly and whispered: "After those evil bandits slaughtered everyone in the mansion, they left through the back door and took dozens of carriages to quickly disperse throughout the city and disappeared. Both the carriages and horses were covered, but they were a bit panicked when they fled, and they were still exposed. They were seen by the people and merchants along the way. There were distinct triangular marks on the buttocks of several horses. In addition, when I was collecting the bodies just now, I took out a broken blade of a spear from the body of a relative, and pulled out a piece of armor from the clenched hands of a guard. There were also the same marks on them."

Huang Jizhong suddenly raised his head upon hearing this, his eyes gleaming with ferocity, like a ferocious beast eager to devour its prey: "Is this the mark of the private army of Grand Marshal Chu Licuo's family?"

The weapons, armor, vehicles, horses, and even private armies and slaves of the aristocratic families of the Linjiang Kingdom all bear a unified mark. For example, the triangle of the family of Grand Marshal Chu Licuo and the burning flame of the family of General Huang Jizhong.

Shusun Tong swallowed and nodded hesitantly.

Huang Jizhong raised his head and howled, not knowing whether it was crying or laughing, his sharp and white teeth chattering. "I knew it. If there was no insider, how could Xiang Chang know so much about Jiangling City and choose the timing so accurately? If there was no insider to cover up, how could so many heavy armored soldiers enter the city quietly? Without the insider to support them, how could they escape so quickly after the incident, with almost no trace left? Well, Chu Licuo, I really misjudged you, old hen. I didn't expect you to have defected to the Great Chu a long time ago? You are really hiding deeply."

At the end of his words, Huang Jizhong slammed his fists on the desk again. This time the desk could not bear the weight and broke into pieces.

(End of this chapter)