My father, King Chu, was besieged at Gaixia

Chapter 121 The Yellow Bird Peeks
Huang Jizhong never imagined that while he was stalking the cicada, there was an oriole lurking behind him. He was so shocked that he was caught off guard. He only had time to turn sideways and barely avoid the vital points before the arrow hit him on the shoulder.

The arrow was so powerful that Huang Jizhong was like being hit by a hammer. He screamed and fell off his horse. It was his fate, because just as he fell off his horse, two more arrows were shot at him, but they missed their targets and hit his horse, causing his mount to scream and fall dead on the spot.

The family soldiers beside Huang Jizhong were shocked, and hurriedly dismounted to grab him and put him back on another horse. Rucheng saw that Xiang Chang was only accompanied by dozens of riders, so he immediately led a group of cavalrymen to rush forward.

Xiang Chang felt regretful when he saw that the soldiers of Huang Jizhong's family looked crazy. He knew that their anger value, which was provoked by his sneak shot, was full. He laughed loudly and led his troops to turn around and retreat.

"Don't chase us, kill them, get out of the city and return to the military camp." Shusun Tong shouted.

Rucheng came to his senses, turned back angrily, and took the armored soldiers to protect Huang Jizhong and Shusun Tong. He broke through Xu Liao's formation in one fell swoop, and then joined up with the Zhonglang General Su Yin, and quickly retreated back to the Northern Army.

Huang Jizhong, who fled back to the Northern Army camp in a panic, was like a severely injured tiger, with a crazy, brutal and bloodthirsty aura surging from his body. His two eyes, which had turned blood red, kept looking around, as if he was choosing someone to eat.

With Feng Changli Cai as a guarantor, and being promoted one level from the general of the 20,000-man Northern Army camp to the grand marshal who commanded the entire kingdom's army, Huang Jizhong also felt the sincerity of the general, and thought that he could be promoted and given a higher rank and take revenge smoothly by entering the palace this time. However, when the time came, he realized that everything was just wishful thinking!
Just when he was about to reach the pinnacle of his life and the monarch of a country was bowing his head in obedience to him, the situation suddenly changed and a scorching thunder was thrown from the air, knocking him to the dust and almost dooming him from everlasting death.

The huge drop from the peak of cloud to the abyss was too much for Huang Jizhong to bear even though he was a general with strong nerves and experienced in many battles.

Therefore, right now, he really feels like he is going crazy.

He swept into the commander's tent like a whirlwind, summoned the army physician to bandage the arrow wound hastily, and Huang Jizhong roared from the depths of his throat, "Beat the drums, gather the generals!"

The attendants and guards did not dare to delay and ran out of the tent as if they were being chased by wolves. Soon, the deep and rapid sound of drums calling for troops to gather was heard outside the tent.

Seeing that Huang Jizhong finally lost his temper, - being hit head-on by Xiang Chang's iron fist one after another, this time he was directly forced to the edge of the cliff, with no room for maneuver, and completely exploded, without caring about anything and putting all his efforts into overturning the table. Shusun Tong's old face was full of solemnity, his mouth closed like a virgin's legs clamped together, it was so tense!
——There was no other way. If he didn't do this, he was really afraid that he would laugh out loud again as soon as he opened his mouth.

After waiting for a long time, I finally waited until today, and after dreaming for a long time, my dream finally came true.

Ever since he stepped into the hot land of Linjiang Kingdom as a Han envoy and lobbied Linjiang King Gong Wei, he found that Huang Jizhong was a stubborn and arrogant frog who only wanted to live his own stable life. A new dream began to grow in his heart, that is, to persuade Huang Jizhong to rebel, take over the entire Linjiang Kingdom and present it to Han King Liu Bang, so that he could be granted a title of nobility based on his merits.

After working so hard for so long and spending so much energy and effort, Huang Jizhong has finally taken this step!
——This was a small step for Huang Jizhong's personal rebellion, but a big step for Shusun Tong's personal title of nobility!

At this moment, the person Shusun Tong was most grateful to was none other than Xiang Chang. Chu Li Cuo, who murdered the king and framed Huang Jizhong, ranked second to him.

Shusun Tongyong could easily guess that Xiang Chang was behind the accusation of regicide against Huang Jizhong.

However, the two men had the same goal in driving Huang Jizhong crazy and turning him against the emperor. Therefore, although Shusun Tong knew there was a problem long ago, he kept silent and was happy to see it happen.

"Thank you!" Shusun Tong shouted to Xiang Chang in the city sincerely, "Next, let me cut you into pieces to repay your kindness!"

Shusun Tong thought complacently.

Recently, the more Shusun Tong thought about Xiang Chang's actions since he entered Jiangling City, the more chilled he felt in his heart. He was inexplicably terrified by his unpredictable methods, and his desire to kill him was like the water of a river, abundant and unstoppable.

"No wonder a brilliant figure like the military advisor regards this kid as a formidable enemy and wants to kill him as soon as possible. Unfortunately, kid, your luck has come to an end. It's my turn to take action next. Let's see how you can take on the 20,000 strong Northern Army? Can you rely on the mere 10,000 weak soldiers in Jiangling City?"

It was time for breakfast in the camp.

All the Northern Army generals were eating when they suddenly heard the drum sounding for the generals to gather. They were so surprised that they dropped their meals and hurried to the commander's tent in the military camp.

Not long after, before the three drum beats were over, more than a dozen Northern Army generals, fully armored and with capable and strong manners, had already taken their positions in two rows in the tent.

Looking at the general who looked like a tiger with its asshole stabbed, with blood-stained cloth on his shoulders and a crazy and cruel aura raging all over his body, all the generals had the same thought: "Something big has happened!"

Seeing that all the generals had arrived, Huang Jizhong quickly raised a long sword, swung it at the generals, and fiercely stabbed it into the document in front of him, shouting: "Chu Licuo killed the king, used this sword to assassinate Gong Wei, but framed me!"

As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a bolt from the blue, and the generals were in an uproar.

Looking at the sword that was so bright and eye-catching, so cold and frightening, and so blood-stained that it made people scared, the generals were shocked and at a loss.

——Is the king dead? Or was he stabbed to death? Was he killed by Chu Licuo? But how did the blood sword come into your hand?

The generals had so many questions in their minds that they almost burst out of their throats. However, looking at Huang Jizhong's expression, they wisely swallowed the questions back.

"Chu Licuo murdered the emperor and rebelled. He is worse than pigs and dogs. I will raise an army, rush into Jiangling City, and 'execute Chu Cuo and clear the court of the emperor'. Are you willing to follow me?"

Although Huang Jizhong was the general of the Kingdom and the commander of 20,000 Northern Army soldiers, he needed the full support of his generals to start a rebellion. Otherwise, the army would be scattered and powerless, and would eventually die. Therefore, even though he hated Xiang Chang and Chu Licuo so much that he wanted to eat their flesh and sleep on their skins, and immediately led 20,000 troops to attack Jiangling, he had to suppress his hatred first and gather his generals to unify their thoughts!

All the generals were dumbfounded.

There is no doubt that Huang Jizhong's attack came too suddenly, and they were caught off guard.

Everyone was eating Diaohu rice, drinking sweet rice wine, and living a leisurely life, enjoying the good times. Suddenly, you said you wanted to rebel, and asked all the generals to risk their lives and property and follow you. What a joke! Are you crazy?

Zuo Sima Zhou Changyang stepped forward with a gloomy face and said angrily: "What are you talking about, General? We, the Northern Army, are the guards of Jiangling City. How can we turn our swords inward and start a rebellion? If it is true that the General did not kill King Gongwei, then I am willing to go to Jiangling City and explain it to the General!"

Facing the talkative Zuo Sima, Huang Jizhong had a grim expression. Without saying a word, he reached out and grabbed the long sword stuck on the desk and stabbed him fiercely. With a "puff", he pierced his chest.

Zuo Sima staggered back several steps and collapsed to the ground.

Until he died, his eyes were wide open, looking at Huang Jizhong in horror and anger.

Looking at Zuo Sima, who had fallen dead in the tent with his body still twitching unconsciously, all the generals' faces turned pale.

For a moment, the tent was dead silent and the atmosphere was extremely depressing.

General Luo Dian led a group of family soldiers in full armor and sharp spears and halberds and suddenly rushed into the tent, surrounded the generals, and watched them eagerly. "You all know what kind of people the defenders of Jiangling City are. No matter how high the walls of Jiangling City are, a charge is enough to take it down. If you successfully attack Jiangling City, kill Chu Licuo, and kill Xiang Chang's son, and avenge the king and the lieutenant, I, Huang Jizhong, swear by the heavens that I will never treat you unfairly and guarantee that everyone will be promoted three levels. Those who have made contributions will be directly made marquises."

Submitting to orders will bring high positions and generous salaries, and refusing to cooperate will be killed without mercy. Faced with Huang Jizhong's brutal and tough tactics of coercion and inducement, all the generals felt that it didn't matter whether Gong Wei was killed by him or not. They bowed their heads and responded in unison: "We are willing to obey the general's order, enter Jiangling City, and capture Chu Licuo alive!"

Huang Jizhong showed a satisfied look. With a glance, Luo Dian ordered the family soldiers to drag Zuo Sima's body out of the tent.

Commander Xiahou Du stepped out, looking hesitant, and said, "General, this attack on Jiangling is not only to kill Chu Licuo, but also means that we are irreconcilable with the Great Chu. And if Xiang Chang is killed in the siege, it will inevitably anger the Overlord Xiang Yu. If he leads his army to avenge his eldest son, we are afraid that we will not be able to resist with only 20,000 troops."

Apparently, the generals in the military camp had heard about Huang Jizhong's recent family experience, especially the fact that his entire family was exterminated by Xiang Chang, the eldest son of the Chu State. Xiahou Du's words expressed their common concerns.

Huang Jizhong didn't wait for Shusun Tong, who had kept his mouth shut, to finally get the chance to show his power. He opened his mouth and laughed loudly, "The Overlord Xiang Yu is now just a name. He was defeated by Han King Liu Bang several times before, and suffered heavy casualties. Now he is firmly pinned down at Gaixia and can't move at all. Otherwise, why would they send Xiang Chang to Linjiang? So you all can go ahead and do it boldly. Today is the time to make achievements. My Han Dynasty will be your strong backing and guarantee that Xiang Yu will never set foot in Linjiang Kingdom."

With the timely guarantee from old man Shusun Tong, the generals no longer had any doubts. Thinking of the next three promotions or even the title of nobility, their faces were all red and they all clamored:
"Go! Go! Charge into Jiangling City, capture Xiang Chang, and chop him into pieces to vent the anger of the general."

"That's right. Use that kid's heart and liver to make a hangover soup. Let's all try the heart and liver of Xiang's descendant. Does it taste different?"

"Hahaha, with those weak city gate guards, we will be able to easily break through in less than two days, or at most three days. The general's revenge will be just around the corner."

……

The generals undoubtedly knew who Huang Jizhong hated the most. In order to be promoted three levels in a row, they tried their best to show their loyalty. The more Huang Jizhong listened, the more excited he became.

Huang Jizhong decisively ordered: "All generals, go back and reorganize the soldiers, distribute weapons and armor, and officially attack the city in three days! In addition, I saw that there are two small iron rings on both sides of Xiang Chang's son's warhorse. The cavalry can take advantage of them by stepping on them. Order the craftsmen in the army to forge them quickly and equip all the warhorses with them."

The generals bowed and accepted the order.

As Huang Jizhong led his family soldiers to successfully fight their way out of the palace, the entire palace was still in turmoil. The defeated palace guards ran around, taking the opportunity to humiliate the palace maids, rob property, and fight each other, turning the entire palace into a mess with wailing and blood everywhere.

Chu Licuo was unable to suppress the enemy, so he hurriedly sent for Weiwei Ji Jiang. Ji Jiang was hit by Huang Jizhong's spear and vomited blood. He had to hold on and personally led the guards to patrol around the palace, vigorously rectify and gather the defeated soldiers, and kill all those who lost control and did not obey the military orders, which was considered to be a barely stable situation.

At this time, Lieutenant Xu Liao came running and reported to Chu Licuo, Li Cai and other officials that Huang Jizhong had just broken out from the north gate and successfully returned to the Northern Army.

Chu Licuo, who was anxiously waiting for news, was shocked and disappointed. He did not expect Huang Jizhong to be so brave and brave that he could break through two checkpoints and escape safely. Fearing that he would be attacked again, Chu Licuo hurriedly ordered Xu Liao to close the four city gates and guard them strictly.

Everything was arranged. Chu Licuo and a group of ministers stood in front of the palace. They had just breathed a sigh of relief when they suddenly found a new and fatal problem in front of them, which made them dumbfounded: Linjiang King Gong Wei was murdered, and his two sons Gong Lian and Gong Yan also died in their respective bedrooms when the soldiers rioted just now.

In other words, all of them, the ministers, are now facing the awkward situation of having no king to serve.

"The king's third son Gong Yin is still alive. It is said that he followed the great pillar state Bo Pi to the family estate to hunt. I wonder if he is in the estate now or has already returned." Just when the ministers were at a loss, Zhongjuan Wu Xin stepped forward and bowed to report.

Upon hearing this, Chu Licuo was overjoyed, and hurriedly sent Wu Xin to lead the palace guards to the residence of Dazhuguo Bo Pi to bring back Gong Yin, the only surviving son of Gong Wei. At the same time, he ordered the servants in the palace to clean up the palace, sweep up the bloodstains, and clear away the traces of war.

Not long after, the Great Pillar State Bo Pi brought the third prince Gong Yin and followed Wu Xin to the palace. Bo Pi had led Gong Yin to hunt wild foxes in the manor in the past few days and had made great gains. They had just returned to the city today.

At this time, the palace had been cleaned up, the blood was wiped clean, and Gong Wei's body was moved to the side hall. Bo Pi learned the whole story and arrived at the palace. He and Chu Licuo and other officials scolded Huang Jizhong for being so heartless and daring to kill the king. Then the two sides hit it off and helped Gong Yin onto the soft couch in the palace where Gong Wei had just died, bowed down and shouted "Your Majesty". A simple and grand ceremony was held to coronate Gong Yin, the new King of Linjiang.

As it was too hasty, Gong Yin didn't even have a suitable tuxedo and crown, so he took out Gong Wei's previous tuxedo. Even though it was two sizes too big, he put it on him anyway and managed to make do with it.

No wonder Chu Licuo and Bo Pi were so impatient. Huang Jizhong, who had fled to the Northern Army, had 20,000 troops under his command and could attack Jiangling City at any time. If they did not quickly establish a new king and stabilize the people's hearts, Jiangling City would be in disarray and could not be defended. If Jiangling City was captured, these noble and powerful ministers of the kingdom would become fish on the chopping board and be slaughtered at will.

As soon as the coronation ceremony was over, Chu Licuo sent Li Cai, the general, to collect the bodies of Gong Wei, Gong Lian and Gong Yan. He discussed with Bo Pi how to resist the siege of General Huang Jizhong.

Chu Licuo originally wanted Weiwei Ji Jiang to command the 5,000 guards of the palace and the 5,000 city gate guards under Xu Liao to defend Jiangling City against the attack of the northern army led by Huang Jizhong. However, Ji Jiang was hit by Huang Jizhong's spear and vomited blood. He looked depressed and could not handle this important task. As a last resort, Chu Licuo cast his eyes on Lieutenant Xu Liao.

Xu Liao had just witnessed Huang Jizhong's ferocity at the north gate and was frightened. But as one knows one's own business, he kept shirking responsibility.

Chu Licuo didn't expect that Lieutenant Xu Liao would be so cowardly that he didn't even dare to fight against Huang Jizhong. He was really dumbfounded.

He ordered Wu Xin to assassinate Gong Wei and put the blame on Huang Jizhong. Huang Jizhong now wanted to cut him into pieces. If he could not defend Jiangling City and he broke in, he would really be cut into pieces.

"You two bastards! Huang Jizhong has only 20,000 troops, while you have an army of 10,000 and you have the advantage of defending the city, but you still don't dare to defend it? You are so afraid of Huang Jizhong, and you are still lieutenants and guards. You are useless!" Chu Licuo got furious. He jumped up and down with his fat body like an old hen, pointing at Xu Liao and Ji Jiang and cursing.

Xu Liao and Ji Jiang smiled bitterly in their hearts: It's easy to say, Huang Jizhong has been operating for so many years, no one knows how much power he has in Jiangling City. Not to mention anything else, just these ministers in front of them, I'm afraid that many of them are secretly colluding with him. What if the city gates are opened in the middle of the night and Huang Jizhong is let into the city, then he won't even know how he died?

Xu Liao glanced at the calm and composed Grand Pillar State Bo Pi, took a step forward, and said with a stiff upper lip: "Grand Marshal, for now, if we want to defend Jiangling City, we have to ask for help from one person. This person defeated Huang Jizhong with a smaller force a few days ago, and today at the north gate, he shot Huang Jizhong with an arrow. As long as this person takes action, Jiangling City will be safe, and it is even possible that he will defeat Huang Jizhong in return."

Chu Licuo naturally knew who Xu Liao was talking about, and for a moment he looked very hesitant.

The reason why Chu Licuo dared to instruct Wu Xin to assassinate Gong Wei was that he secretly asked Xiang Chang for help in advance, and the two sides reached a cooperation. How to mobilize Gong Wei's confidants in advance, how to assassinate, how to relax Huang Jizhong's vigilance step by step, and how to put the blame on Huang Jizhong after the assassination, all of these were planned by Xiang Chang, and then explained to him one by one.

As expected, Xiang Chang's plan went very smoothly. Not only did he successfully assassinate Gong Wei, but he also firmly pinned the blame on Huang Jizhong, turning this powerful general into a traitor.

The only thing that surprised Chu Licuo was that he underestimated the fighting power of the Gongnei Guards. They clearly had an absolute advantage in numbers and should have been safe, but in the end they were killed by Huang Jizhong.

Although he escaped from Huang Jizhong, seeing that there was no powerful official in Linjiang Kingdom to compete with him, Chu Licuo showed signs of monopolizing power. For a moment, he couldn't help feeling a little proud. He instinctively had other ideas and tried to control Linjiang Kingdom alone. He abandoned the original agreement and thought of abandoning Xiang Chang.

However, the cruel and cold reality was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, extinguishing his beautiful dream and waking him up instantly.

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(End of this chapter)