Southwest of Pizhou, Matingguan.

Several mountains hugging each other gather here, and Mating Pass sits guarding it, with three mountains behind it guarding the mountain road.

Mating Pass is not considered a dangerous place. Although it is surrounded by three mountains, there are several passes that can be entered and exited, and there are also several ancient trade roads on the mountain that can go directly around the pass.

Wang Shouen led 6,000 soldiers and horses to station here to resist Zhao Siwan's more than 10,000 rebels advancing towards Pizhou.

Wang Shouen divided his troops to guard the passes and mountain passes. The front of the pass was attacked by the rebels, making the battle extremely difficult.

Fortunately, although Wang Shouen was strict in his official duties and had a habit of amassing money, he was still somewhat capable of leading troops in battles. Relying on the mountainous terrain, he was able to keep the rebels out of the pass and not make any further progress.

After days of fighting around Guancheng, both sides were exhausted and exhausted. In the evening, Wang Shouen inspected Guancheng and looked at the enemy camp. He saw only smoke curling up from the cooking pots and no signs of mobilization of men and horses.

It seems that the rebels want to have a good night's rest tonight and fight again tomorrow.

Wang Shouen did not dare to be careless, so he ordered his subordinates to keep a tight guard, and then sent spies to approach the enemy camp to conduct reconnaissance.

The other generals and soldiers took turns to rest, and he himself also went to Guancheng and returned to the rear army to rest.

Just after he wiped the solidified blood scab on his face with a wet cloth and prepared to lie down with his armor, the soldiers outside the tent reported urgently: "Qiu Yonglu, the recorder, has something to ask for and wants to see the handsome master!"

Wang Shouen opened his eyes suddenly, sat up and shouted: "Let him in quickly!"

Soon, Qiu Yonglu entered the tent and saluted: "I have seen the envoy."

Wang Shouen stared at him with wide eyes for a long time, then breathed a long sigh of relief: "I thought you were beheaded by that damn Shatuo barbarian Shi Kuangwei!"

The corners of Qiu Yonglu's mouth twitched, thinking that it was just a matter of time before my head would have to be left in Jingzhou.

Qiu Yonglu smiled dryly and said: "This subordinate represents the envoy, how dare Zhang Yijun be rude..."

Wang Shouen said hurriedly: "The fact that you came back alive shows that Shi Kuangwei has no intention of seeking refuge with Li Shouzhen. Tell me quickly, how did Zhang Yijun respond?"

Qiu Yonglu shouted outside the tent, and a soldier entered the tent carrying a bloody bundle.

"This is..." Wang Shouen looked at the head in surprise.

Qiu Yonglu said: "A few days after I arrived in Anding County, Li Shouzhen also sent an envoy to see Shi Kuangwei. This person was Li Shouzhen's envoy. Ji Fu, the reporter of the Prince of Qin's Mansion, joined the army..."

Immediately, Qiu Yonglu recounted what he saw and heard that day.

"King Qin..." Wang Shou'en sneered disdainfully, waving his hand and asking his soldiers to take the head down for processing.

"Shi Kuangwei claimed that he was ill and did not care. Zhu Xiu made all the decisions on the affairs of the Zhangyi Army. He is young but should not be underestimated. He ordered Ji Fu to be killed without blinking an eye..."

Qiu Yonglu still felt trembling when he recalled the scene when Ji Fu's head fell to the ground and blood flowed to his feet.

Wang Shouen said angrily: "This son is treacherous and harder to deal with than Shi Kuangwei. From now on, if he is a neighbor of our Jingnan Army, I'm afraid there will be constant trouble."

Qiu Yonglu smiled bitterly, it was more than just a trouble, it was simply a disaster!

After pondering for a moment, Wang Shou'en said: "Zhu Xiu really promised that he would not defect to Li Shouzhen? He also said that he was willing to fight the rebels with me?"

Qiu Yonglu hurriedly said: "He killed Ji Fu in public, stepped on Li Shouzhen's edict of the King of Qin, and swore that he would never lie! He also gave me a thousand dan of grain, saying it was aid from a friendly neighbor."

Wang Shouen's face brightened slightly: "I'm quite sensible and know that the overall situation is the most important thing..."

Qiu Yonglu swallowed his saliva and whispered: "But when I came from Xinping County, I heard that... I heard that Zhu Xiu sent troops to occupy Changwu City and openly promoted to Pizhou the various benefits and benefits of moving to Jingzhou.

..."

"Ahem~what?!" Wang Shouen choked his neck in one breath, his face flushed, and his bloodshot eyes widened.

Qiu Yonglu mourned and said: "I heard from my humble position that he hung up the signs of the Resettlement Office in Yilu County and sent some powerful soldiers to protect him. There were also his troops outside the city to support him. Most of our troops followed him.

The handsome man went south and took charge

The security guards in the city were no match for Zhu Xiu's men. They didn't even dare to ask, otherwise they would be beaten violently. The bandit soldiers from the Changyi Army did not harm anyone, they could just beat them away. They were extremely arrogant and incomparable.

Anyone dares to provoke..."

"...." Wang Shou'en almost spat out a mouthful of old blood three feet away, and his eyes were about to burst: "Zhu Xiu, you've gone too far to bully others! This commander... I will definitely return to the army..."

Qiu Yonglu was startled and quickly reminded in a low voice: "If the handsome man withdraws his troops at this time, and the rebels march straight into Pizhou, the court will hold the handsome man accountable. You must not lose the big because of small things. It is better to stop the rebels first."

"

Wang Shouen's words were stuck in his throat and he couldn't speak out, and his face turned green and red.

Doesn't he know that resisting the rebels is the first priority, but the Zhangyi Army is frantically poaching behind him. When the war is over, most of the people in Pizhou will flow into Jingzhou.

Wang Shouen knew that in the past two years, because of the artificially high salt prices in Pizhou, the people had great opinions on him. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the people were filled with resentment.

Otherwise, with just a little provocation by the Changyi Army, a large number of people would not be willing to flee to Jingzhou to seek a life.

If we really want to count it out, this debt was caused by him.

Wang Shouen's blood-stained face was trembling, looking particularly ferocious.

Qiu Yonglu smiled bitterly and said: "For the current plan, we can only block the rebels first and ignore the Zhangyi Army for the time being. I estimate that the court will transfer the handsome man to Guanzhong to serve in Guanzhong based on the needs of countering the rebellion. The handsome man has won several great battles.

, I have made great achievements in suppressing the rebellion, and I wish I could be promoted to a general and leave Pizhou as soon as possible..."

Qiu Yonglu still had something to say. Since he couldn't stop the despicable Zhangyi Army from cannibalizing the population of his neighbors, he should simply stay away and hide as far away as possible to avoid being blamed by the court in the future and having to bear the responsibility.

Pizhou is in a mess, whoever takes over will be unlucky, and getting out early is the best policy.

Wang Shouen glanced at him gloomily, understood the implication of his words, and nodded slightly.

"Come here! Order your troops and horses, and follow me out of the gate to rob the camp!"

Wang Shouen's red eyes shot brightly. No matter how hard and tired he was, he would drive the rebels back to Jingzhao as soon as possible.

He wants to make more military exploits, apply for transfer to the court as soon as possible, and leave Pizhou!

At night, outside Mating Pass, the rumble of war drums suddenly sounded.

The rebel camp was filled with shouts, curses and fighting. Zhao Siwan never imagined that Wang Shouen would ignore the exhaustion of the bloody battle and rob the camp at night...

~~~

A few days later, Hezhong Prefecture and Puzhou City.

Puzhou has been the hub of the world since ancient times. It has a natural thoroughfare that leads from Guanzhong to Chang'an in the west, Hedong in the north, Shangluo in the south, and Luoyang in the east. Business travel from south to north is prosperous.

Outside Puzhou City, there are the famous Pujin Bridge and Pujin Pass, which guard the ancient crossing of the Yellow River and are battlegrounds for military strategists of all ages.

Puzhou City was one of the most powerful cities in the world during the Tang Dynasty. After several repairs and expansions, it became even more majestic and grand.

Li Shouzhen designated Puzhou City as the capital of the King of Qin. The towering city walls were covered with golden dragon and Qin king flags on a black background. Armored soldiers were mobilized everywhere in the city, and armored war horses neighed, making it look like a major military town.

In the Prince of Qin's palace, Li Shouzhen, who was wearing a golden armor and dragon-embroidered cloak, had just returned from inspecting Pujin Pass. Before he could take a sip of hot tea, he received a military report from Zhao Siwan of the Yongxing Army.

After a quick glance, Li Shouzhen was furious: "How brave Shi Kuangwei! He actually beheaded Ji Fu and destroyed my royal decree!"

Li Shouzhen was so angry that he pulled out his sword and cut off a corner of the table, and cursed loudly: "Shi Kuangwei, Wang Shouen and his like are ignorant and dare to go against me! When the imperial army is defeated one day, I will personally lead the army to wipe out the second town!"

"

Li Chongxun stood aside. He also wore a suit of thin scale armor, with red lips and white teeth. He was a handsome young general. Unfortunately, he still couldn't change the fact that he was weak.

Li Chongxun comforted him and said: "Father, please calm down. With Zhao Siwan in charge of Chang'an, it will be easy to deal with Wang Shou'en and Zhangyi's army. Wang Jingchong has occupied half of Qizhou and has also contacted Meng Chang, the leader of Shu. When the Shu army sends troops, Jiao Jixun will be hard-pressed to take care of him sooner or later."

Died in Longzhou."

Li Shouzhen was furious and shouted: "The only person I'm angry about is Shi Kuangwei. This guy dares to issue a proclamation, publicly attack me, and behead the envoy. He is determined to go against me! Although Zhangyi's army is weak, it is close to Fengxiang.

If Hejingnan Town is willing to surrender and attack from behind with Zhao Siwan, Jiao Jixun and Wang Shouen can be pacified within a month. Now, Zhao Siwan has to divide his troops to attack. If the time is prolonged, accidents will inevitably happen."

Li Chongxun said confidently: "Jiao Jixun has too much time to take care of himself. Wang Shou'en and Shi Kuangwei are weak, and Zhao Siwan can handle them. My father only needs to guard Tongguan and Puzhou, defeat the imperial army's spirit, and no one in Guanzhong will dare to disobey."

Li Shouzhen calmed down some of his anger and said with a smile: "Da Lang's opinion coincides with that of his father. The biggest enemy of our Qin army is Kaifeng. Whether we can defeat Guanzhong depends on how well we fight in the first few battles."

The imperial court didn't even want to use Gao Xingzhou and sent Bai Wenke and Chang Si to lead the army. They really underestimated me, Li Shouzhen! Humph~"

Li Chongxun boasted: "My father's military exploits are so great that no one in the court can match him!"

Li Shouzhen stroked his beard and laughed loudly, then shook his head and said: "It is an exaggeration to say so! If the imperial court sends Guo Wei to take charge, this battle will probably not be fought well..."

After a pause, Li Shouzhen sneered again: "However, Guo Que'er is now the Privy Councilor and sits in the central government. There has been no precedent for the Privy Councilor to also hold military power in the past dynasties. If Guo Wei wants to lead troops on an expedition, the Liu family's young emperor will not be at ease! Ha!

Haha~~~"

"Da Lang, immediately send a flying harrier to contact the Lord of the Tang Dynasty, Li Jing, and invite him to attack the Han Dynasty together! If it succeeds, the lonely king will cross the river with him to rule!"
Chapter completed!