Chapter 374: I am the brother of His Majesty who has been living among the people!
"I am here ."
The old man was breathing weakly, his voice was faint, and a smile was forced out of his decayed face.
Ying Chengjiao nodded silently, tucked the quilt for the old general on the sickbed, gently pulled it open a little, and tucked it in again, repeating this process back and forth.
He lowered his head and didn't look at Meng Ao, as if every glance at the old man would take away the old man's limited life.
"My Lord, you are so nervous, is it because of me?"
A big hand as skinny as chicken skin gently grasped Ying Chengjiao's wrist. The old man had no strength left to use.
Ying Chengjiao turned his head and took a deep breath.
"Talk less, Old Man Xia won't say any more. I'll let you rest more."
"Whether you tell it or not, you will die anyway, so there is no need to be sad. It is a great blessing for Ao to be granted the title of Marquis Che and be called Champion."
Meng Ao supported himself on the bed with his hands, trying to sit up, but failed twice.
Ying Chengjiao heard the noise, and supported Meng Ao's waist with one hand and gently supported Meng Ao with the other hand. He put the pillow upright against the wall and helped Meng Ao half lean on the pillow.
"You must be so stubborn, and you still think it was twenty years ago?"
Ying Chengjiao muttered to himself, and seeing the old man grinning, he wiped the saliva from the corner of the old man's mouth with his sleeve and shook it off in disgust.
"You should take good care of yourself. You can keep things simple on the battlefield, but you can't be so sloppy off the battlefield."
"It's just like this, there's no way it can be changed."
The old man looked at Ying Chengjiao with a kind face, and raised his hand tremblingly to touch Ying Chengjiao's face.
Ying Chengjiao rubbed his eyes and sat next to the old man with his head slightly tilted.
The old man felt the real touch, which was much rougher than twenty years ago, and recalled:
"When you were five years old, King Zhaoxiang brought me to see you. He held you in his arms and said, 'Meng Ao, my great-great-grandson is the king of Qin and will be the king of the world in the future. Do you believe it?'
"How could I, a birdman, say I didn't believe it? I stepped forward and pinched the young master's face, smiling and flattering him: 'Take a touch of the royal aura.' At that time, the young master's face was smoother than Qin Jian's, which had just been washed.
"The king laughed and said, 'You are lucky.'
"Ao said respectfully, 'Yes, yes, yes.'
"But I thought: Is the king confused? What does a five-year-old know? Even Wu Anjun had a runny nose and played in the mud when he was five years old.
"More than 20 years have passed, and it's only for Ao to go back to the day when he met the Master. Ao couldn't believe how powerful a five-year-old kid could be.
“Young Master, you are the second genius that Ao has ever seen.
"Ao often thinks, if the young master was born twenty years earlier, no, ten years earlier, how great it would be. Ao could introduce the young master to Wu'an Jun, and with the young master around, Wu'an Jun wouldn't have died..."
When Ying Chengjiao was born, Bai Qi, the Marquis of Wu'an in Qin, had already been executed by King Zhaoxiang of Qin for six years.
Ying Chengjiao didn't know what to say, he couldn't remember these past events. To him, these things happened too long ago.
The veteran didn't need Ying Chengjiao to reply, he sighed regretfully and continued:
"After that, the king took the prince with him whenever he went to court or reviewed memorials. All the important officials in the Xianyang Palace watched helplessly as a little kid acted like a little adult every day, not crying or making a fuss, but tilting his head to listen to our discussions.
"The person sitting next to him was not the late King Xiaowen, nor the late King Zhuangxiang, but the prince. It was then that Ao realized how important the prince was to the king.
"Even that idiot Ao could see it. How could those cunning people in the palace not see it? At the beginning, everyone was teasing the young master for the sake of the king..."
The old man softly recounted the past events that Ying Chengjiao could not remember, as if they had happened yesterday.
Ying Chengjiao listened quietly. This was the only thing he could do.
Listen, listen...
The old man's voice became smaller and smaller.
The palm passed across Ying Chengjiao's face and, under the force of gravity, hit the bed, making a dull sound.
Ying Chengjiao looked up blankly and saw the old man with his head bowed deeply.
He raised his hand and placed it tremblingly in front of the old man's nose. The skin was still warm, but there was no breath in his nose.
In fact, there was no need to do so. With his extremely high martial arts skills, he knew at the first moment that the old man was dead, but he still had a glimmer of hope.
He lowered his head, in the same posture as the old man, his shoulders twitching and tears flowing like a fountain.
…
More than ten years ago, Ying Chengjiao took his childhood sweetheart Ding Xiang away for fun and she was stabbed. The arrow pierced her chest and missed her heart by a centimeter.
King Zhaoxiang of Qin was furious and summoned Meng Ao to kill the assassin, intending to center the massacre around the place where Ying Chengjiao was stabbed.
While in a coma, Ying Chengjiao repeatedly requested King Zhaoxiang of Qin not to kill innocent people indiscriminately, so that the people of the ten miles could live safely.
After his injuries were healed, Meng Ao came to visit him and told him about the hundreds of thousands of innocent souls who died in the Battle of Changping. He told him how, when he was young, he only knew that fighting was about killing his way through, and if he was still alive at the end, he won. He also told him that only after he got old did he realize that the best strategy was to attack the enemy's plans.
Final words:
"Go out and tell everyone my name, Meng Ao. If anyone dares to bully you, I will kill him!"
…
During a court meeting, King Zhuangxiang of Qin entered the hall and picked up Ying Chengjiao, who was sitting below, and laughed loudly.
"Has the young Prince Qin finished approving the memorial?"
Prime Minister Lu Buwei stood up and said seriously:
"'Little King of Qin' is not in accordance with etiquette. Your Majesty, please..."
Before he could finish his words, Meng Ao jumped up, pointed at Lu Buwei's nose and cursed:
"What are you yelling about, you bastard! Can your manners win a battle? If they can't win a battle, they are just bullshit! Little Qin King, little Qin King! My father called me that, so what? What's the use of scolding a child? Fight with your father with real horses and real swords!"
Lu Buwei looked helpless. It was difficult for a scholar to explain himself when he met a soldier.
Seeing that Lu Buwei was still not giving up even though he didn't say anything, Meng Ao grabbed his son Meng Wu with one hand.
"Remember this! From now on, my Meng family will be called Little Qin King! Let's see who dares to gossip about us!"
King Zhuangxiang of Qin laughed heartily and gave Meng Ao a thumbs up.
"The general is mighty!"
Then he turned to Lu Buwei with gloating.
"My Lord, I am not against you, it is General Meng who is against you. Why are you silent? You can try to reason with General Meng as you did with me! If that doesn't work, then we can follow the Qin tradition and have a duel."
Lu Buwei snorted coldly.
"I don't bully the elderly!"
He sat down angrily.
From then on, no one dared to say a bad word about Ying Chengjiao whenever Meng Ao was present, even in court meetings.
…
Outside the city.
Meng Ao held the sword in one hand and the tiger talisman in the other, and looked at the handsome young man who had grown up in front of him, and said sincerely:
"Little King of Qin, do you really want to do this? If Ao leads these 8,000 soldiers into Xianyang, the King of Qin will no longer be a prince! Little King of Qin will no longer be the King of Qin!"
Ying Chengjiao had a playful look on his face.
"Ah, old man, why are you so sentimental? The throne is not a good thing, so just let your brother take it. After suppressing the rebellion this time, as long as your Meng family does not commit suicide, its position will be as stable as Mount Tai. Isn't this what you have always dreamed of?"
Patting Meng Ao on the shoulder, Ying Chengjiao instructed:
"Don't harm Uncle Lu's life, just kill Lao Ai."
Meng Ao suddenly raised his head and looked at the young man whom he had watched grow up, from Master Cheng Jiao to the Little King of Qin, and he was angry but did not argue.
"What's so good about the three words 'Chang'an Jun'? You don't even want the throne!"
Ying Chengjiao gently stroked the chest of Meng Ao, who was already an old man at that time, and said with an apologetic smile:
"Don't be angry, don't be angry. Anger is harmful to your health."
Meng Ao looked at the young man deeply.
"If you are not a king, Ao will not be able to stand behind you and support you after suppressing the rebellion. No one can call you the Little King of Qin in the future."
Ying Chengjiao said indifferently:
"If you can't call me that, then don't call me that. I think the three characters Chang'an Jun sound better."
The old man rode away, and when he turned around he said in a very awkward tone:
"Thank you, Lord Chang'an, for your contribution!"
…
Battle of Handan.
Li Mu was a master in military strategy and had the advantage of defending the terrain. The State of Zhao was on the verge of destruction and the army was in mourning. In addition, there was a deep hatred between Qin and Zhao.
Not only did the Qin State's god of war Wang Jian fail to capture the city after a long siege, he also lost his deputy general Heng Ji in a major battle.
King Ying Zheng of Qin sent veteran generals Meng Ao and Wang Qi to support from a small road, determined to conquer the State of Zhao. Ying Chengjiao quietly followed them with several retainers.
"Chang'an Jun is the chief general, and Ao and Wang Xi, that birdman, are the deputy generals!"
Wang Xi, also a veteran, was stunned as he watched his old comrade Meng Ao hand the tiger talisman to Ying Chengjiao.
He immediately objected, but was scolded and beaten by Meng Ao, and his objection was ultimately ineffective.
Ying Chengjiao did not refuse. He took the tiger talisman and was not in a hurry to send troops. He first trained the soldiers in the suburbs for seven days before rushing to the battlefield.
The commander will be the vanguard!
This was a way of warfare that Wang Xi and Meng Ao, two veterans who had fought many battles, had never seen before. They did not see that Ying Chengjiao had no military skills, but only one word - recklessness.
In every battle, you must be the first!
Wearing a very distinctive silver armor, Ying Chengjiao was charging in the front. As long as the Qin soldiers behind him saw the shining silver armor, they would charge forward with a roar as if they had taken a powerful pill.
There has never been any way of fighting a war in which the commander does not deploy troops in the rear, but runs to the front and charges into the rain of arrows. Even the warlike Qin State has never had such a general.
Although the general's armor seemed a little different - the helmet was tightly sealed without a single gap, and the eyes were covered with a piece of colored glaze. But it was completely acceptable for the general's armor to be a little different, as the Qin army had different ranks and ate different food.
Although the general has been protected by hundreds of experts, and the two nearby swordsmen are even more powerful, they can protect the general and cut through the enemy's army. But which general doesn't have personal guards? How can this be considered a big deal?
Ying Chengjiao did not attack the city either.
That is to intercept, chase, ambush, cut off the communication between cities, and turn Handan into an isolated city.
These soldiers, all dressed in black armor, with saddles on their hips, stirrups on their feet, and horseshoes on their hooves, followed the fearless young commander and managed to defeat the Zhao State's proud cavalry.
Every time it was a battle of annihilation, not a single person was allowed to escape alive, that was more than the word fierce could describe!
A few days later, Li Mu died and Handan was captured.
When the Zhao Wuan Jun, who was said to be dead, followed Ying Chengjiao in a daze and remained silent.
Meng Ao, who personally handed the tiger talisman to Ying Chengjiao, was silent for a while:
"Lord Chang'an, Ao is going to be on guard against you."
Ying Chengjiao laughed loudly and patted Meng Ao's still strong arms hard.
"Old boy, now you know how powerful I am!"
…
Pushing open the door, Ying Chengjiao looked pale, with red eyes and a big smile.
"The old guy is gone. He didn't guard me."
Meng Tian and Meng Yi rushed into the room from both sides of Ying Chengjiao, and their suppressed cries flowed out of the house.
"If I win the championship, my father will die without regrets."
Meng Wu walked into the house from beside Ying Chengjiao and said softly.
His wife, Zhao Su, stepped forward and hugged Ying Chengjiao.
"It's okay, it's okay..."
Before the title of Marquis Guanjun spread throughout Xianyang City, he died of illness.
…
Pei County.
There are snack vendors on both sides of the road here, most of which sell dog meat. The fragrant dog meat mixed with wine is loved by many heroic people.
Guiguzi, who was eating dog meat with his apprentice at a roadside stall, was stunned for a moment and pinched his five fingers.
The old apprentice blinked and put down the big bone in his hand.
"Master, what happened? Did you find the Red Emperor?"
"Nothing, let's eat."
Guiguzi picked up the wine bowl and took a sip.
[Another era has passed, Lord, you need to speed up. ]
"Two old men, would you like to have one more person drink?"
A young man sat next to Guiguzi with a laugh, looked at Guiguzi's face in surprise, picked up the wine bowl on the table and poured a bowl of wine.
Pour and drink by yourself.
"Where did this brat come from!"
The old apprentice's eyes narrowed and he snatched it away.
The man turned his wrist and easily dodged the old apprentice's not-so-fierce attack, still putting the bowl of wine steadily into his mouth.
Grabbing the old apprentice's wrist with his backhand, the man smiled and said:
"My father-in-law is old and has a bad temper. It's just a bowl of wine. Why are you so stingy?"
He released his hand and gently kneaded the old apprentice's wrist, using his internal force to mobilise the Qi and blood there so that it would not become blocked.
"Don't worry about the consultation fee, father-in-law!"
This time, the visitor picked up the wine jar and didn't even use a wine bowl. He just picked it up and poured it into his mouth without any courtesy.
The old apprentice was about to lose his temper, but his master held his wrist and he turned around to look.
The ingenious master looked at the newcomer with surprise in his eyes.
"Master, do you know him?"
The old apprentice asked tentatively.
His master lived for hundreds of years and knew people of all ages, from three-year-old children to octogenarians.
"Drink slowly, there's plenty of wine."
Guiguzi said.
The man drank like a guzzler and finished the entire jar of wine in one breath.
Hearing Guiguzi's words, he reached out to take the dog meat from the plate and said:
"This old man is generous. Wine without meat is not good after all. Since he gave me wine, it is only natural that he gave me some meat."
Before he finished speaking, he had already picked up a bone and started chewing it.
The old apprentice's eyes showed anger, but when he saw that the master didn't say anything, he restrained his temper and stared unkindly at this scoundrel who came uninvited, drank wine, ate meat, and beat him.
"That makes sense."
Guiguzi smiled and shouted loudly:
"Another three pounds of meat."
The visitor showed surprise in his eyes, but he did not eat the dog meat that was in his mouth. Instead, he looked at Guiguzi with a little caution.
"Father, are you so kind? But did you recognize my identity?"
Guiguzi became more interested.
"Oh? Tell me, what is your identity?"
The man clapped his hands, stood up, stepped on the stool, and said proudly:
"Let me know that I am from the Ying family, who are now living among the people, and I am the brother of the current emperor!"
