Shen Qingfeng gave him a puzzled look.
"Guo Zhuyi, the city defender of Liangzhou, is not one of Chu Jietian's men," Lu Yan paused and said. "To be precise, Guo Zhuyi once betrayed, but then turned over a new leaf."
Shen Qingfeng was taken aback. He didn't know about these things. After all, in his previous life, the battle reports Lu Yan sent were extremely brief. It seemed that he was reluctant to communicate too much with Liange. Every memorial he sent only reported the results directly or simply asked for military rations and pay.
Lu Yan was bold and decisive in leading troops, and the Lu Family Army had strict military orders. There were never any reports of embezzling military pay or wasting military rations. At that time, there were undercurrents surging in Liange City. The Lu Family Army was needed to stabilize the border. King Xia Jie also knew the principle that if you want the horse to run, you have to feed it. So he was always very generous with the military rations and pay.
"What do you mean?" Shen Qingfeng asked. "Could it be that the previous civil unrest in Qimen was related to Guo Zhuyi?"
Lu Yan shook his head and said, "The reason for the civil unrest in Qimen was that Meng Chui, a subordinate of Chu Jietian, held military power for his own ends. He colluded with the Donghu tribe and rebelled. The Donghu army entered from Liangcheng and fought their way all the way to Fengping, the capital of Qimen. At that time, Chu Jietian was forced to abandon the capital and flee. It was only later that he gradually recovered it."
Shen Qingfeng said, "You mean that the Donghu army that assisted in the rebellion entered Qimen from Liangcheng?"
Lu Yan nodded and said, "Exactly. However, Guo Zhuyi framed this matter on someone else. Liangcheng was far away from the imperial court, and Guo Zhuyi had a deep foundation there. It was not difficult for him to wipe out the evidence. So now he can turn around and start fighting against the Donghu."
Shen Qingfeng frowned and said, "Now that Qimen has just been pacified, isn't Chu Jietian going to investigate and punish Guo Zhuyi?"
Lu Yan pinched the bridge of his nose, sighed, and said, "This matter is very complicated... The rebellious Meng Chui didn't die. He now has only two possible destinations. Either he fled to the Donghu tribe, or he fled to Liangcheng and was sheltered by Guo Zhuyi. When Qimen was just pacified, Chu Jietian was going to find an excuse to send troops to Liangcheng to inquire about Meng Chui's whereabouts. But unexpectedly, the Donghu suddenly sent troops."
Shen Qingfeng said, "Then why did your subordinates go to Liangcheng to support? With open attacks in front and hidden arrows in the back, how can you fight against the Donghu..."
Shen Qingfeng suddenly stopped. He seemed to have thought of something. He suddenly raised his head and looked at Lu Yan, only to find that Lu Yan was also looking down at him.
Why did Guo Zhuyi collude with the Donghu? Why did the guard cut the rope of the suspension bridge because of his wife and children? Behind all these seemingly reasonable things, there seemed to be another creepy explanation.
Shen Qingfeng stared at Lu Yan. He wanted to say something, but he opened his mouth and couldn't utter a single syllable.
After a while, Lu Yan nodded slightly and said, "You're right. Liangcheng has been abandoned by Chu Jietian."
Yes, although Guo Zhuyi still pretended to be a person who was fighting against the Donghu to protect Qimen, in fact, Lu Yan knew in his heart that a double - faced person like Guo Zhuyi was the most untrustworthy. No matter how confident Lu Yan was, he wouldn't be at ease letting his subordinates assist a person who had betrayed the country once. Unless, Qi Qi and Wei Yan had other tasks...
Shen Qingfeng suddenly remembered the result of Liangcheng in his previous life. Suddenly, he felt a chill down his spine.
So... the deaths of thousands of people in Liangcheng in his previous life were pre - arranged?
Shen Qingfeng suddenly remembered the memorial that Xia Chuli secretly learned about at that time. It only said:
"The Donghu army went south. Guo rebelled. Liangcheng was breached. A thousand people died. They retreated to Gengyuan."
It was concise and clear, but when you thought about it carefully, it contained too many deeper meanings.
"Qimen has been in turmoil for many years. Meng Chui's influence is greater than expected. If Qimen wants to be stable from now on, Chu Jietian must eliminate the root cause. Guo Zhuyi is the first step he has to take," Lu Yan said. He put his arm around Shen Qingfeng's waist, as if to comfort him.
Shen Qingfeng sat there stiffly in Lu Yan's arms. His face was pale as he said, "... Where are you at now?"
Lu Yan said in a deep voice, "The road from Liangcheng to the inside of Qimen has been secretly blocked by Wei Yan. If Liangcheng is breached, they won't be able to escape back to Qimen."
"What about the common people in Liangcheng?" Shen Qingfeng clenched his fists and said, "Guo Zhuyi is a traitor, Meng Chui is a traitor, and their subordinates are traitors, but the common people are innocent."
Lu Yan's expression became solemn. He had long guessed that Shen Qingfeng would react like this. Shen Qingfeng had lived in Liange City all his life and had never seen war. How could he understand these things?
"I've already sent a message to Xiao Qi and Wei Yan to transfer the people as much as possible."
"As much as possible?" Shen Qingfeng gave a soft laugh. He turned his head and looked at Lu Yan. The light in his eyes became sharper. "Lu Yan, do you think I'm stupid? Since Chu Jietian wants to design to kill Guo Zhuyi and his subordinates, how could he let you swaggeringly transfer the people at the risk of being discovered by Guo Zhuyi?"
Lu Yan squinted his eyes. The hand on Shen Qingfeng's waist tightened. He slowly lowered his head and said in a low voice that Shen Qingfeng had never heard before, "Qingfeng, this is war. There will always be casualties in war."
Shen Qingfeng trembled all over. He suddenly felt cold from head to toe.
Lu Yan's voice was too low. It was a voice that carried the coldness of years of galloping on the battlefield, the determination and harshness of a general. Although Shen Qingfeng had always known about Lu Yan's ability to lead troops, this was the first time he truly felt the extraordinary aura on Lu Yan.
He understood what Lu Yan and Chu Jietian were planning. "As much as possible" just meant transferring a small number of people without Guo Zhuyi's discovery. By the time the Lu Family Army received the order to retreat, Chu Jietian could completely use the hands of the Donghu to kill those rebel troops and the remaining people who hadn't been transferred.
As for Guo Zhuyi, he had betrayed Qimen and also the Donghu. The Donghu would surely not let him go. Moreover, whether Meng Chui was in Liangcheng or not, losing Guo Zhuyi would be a blow to him. It was truly a plan that served two purposes.
It was just...
"Innocent people will die... How can Chu Jietian sit firmly on his throne as a prince?" Shen Qingfeng's voice trembled a little.
Lu Yan buried his head in Shen Qingfeng's shoulder. Suddenly, he let out a few muffled laughs, as if sighing. "A king must be seven - tenths harsh. He must be harsh not only on himself but also on others. Qimen has been in chaos for too long. Now the whole Qimen is faced with both internal and external troubles. It can no longer withstand another civil unrest. Chu Jietian doesn't have many opportunities left. If he doesn't take this opportunity of the Donghu's invasion to integrate the forces of his own faction in Qimen, he will not only harm Qimen but also implicate Lixia."
Shen Qingfeng took a deep breath and lowered his eyes. "Humph... Sacrificing a few to save the many? Lu Yan, do you think this is right?"
"Then do you think this is wrong?" Lu Yan retorted. "Under the situation of internal and external troubles, Chu Jietian no longer has the energy to send another army to eliminate Guo Zhuyi, a guy who might stab him in the back at any time. Moreover, if Chu Jietian were to kill a general of his own country while fighting against the Donghu, boosting the enemy's prestige, how would the common people view him? How could he win the hearts of the people? Instead of that, it's better to kill with a borrowed knife, using the deaths of a few thousand people to achieve the effect of winning the hearts of the people and making them united against the enemy."
Shen Qingfeng pursed his lips and remained silent. His face was as pale as paper.
Lu Yan hugged him tightly in his arms, kissed the top of his head gently, and murmured, "Qingfeng, you're too naive. You don't know that many things in this world are contradictory. For many things, you'll never find a perfect solution, because no matter which step you take, you'll have to pay a price."
Although Lu Yan was saying this to Shen Qingfeng, it seemed like he was talking to himself.
Yes, contradictory. Wasn't he like this himself?
Wasn't he treating the person in his arms with such a contradictory mood?
—Was this person he loved deeply really real?
Lu Yan didn't dare to think. He could only tightly pinch Shen Qingfeng's chin, turn his face over, and lower his head to kiss him deeply.
Their tongues touched. Shen Qingfeng tried to avoid it, but Lu Yan firmly held the back of his head.
Lu Yan closed his eyes, tried his best to please with his lips, and at the same time forced himself to enjoy this kiss.
Outside the house, a pale light suddenly flashed across, suddenly breaking through the pitch - black sky like ink.
The thunderous rumble like a beating drum swept in from the sky.
It shook the ancient Liange where the snow had not yet melted.
The spring thunder had quietly arrived.