"Brother, I will deal with this matter and kill secretly... The current situation is in chaos, and there are many old Wei Wenda troops in the city, so we cannot spread the news." One of the eleven cavalrymen handed over with difficulty. "Otherwise, the morale of the army will be shaken, and it will be difficult to do anything.
"
Luo Shu stared at his brother for a long time and sneered: "Xiao Tian, is it so difficult for me to come up with a bad breath?"
The young officer stood frozen on the spot.
Another person stood up, but he was the eldest among the remaining eleven riders. He raised his hands to each other and said, "Brother, I only want to say one thing. What if the young lady is already pregnant?"
Luo Shu still sneered: "Lin Liu, are you stupid? My son has been in Hejian for several months, how could he be pregnant?"
The older man looked surprised: "Brother, at the end of last month, the young master came to stay at our house from Hejian for two days. You..."
Luo Shu finally hesitated.
Lao Lin hurriedly said: "Brother, the young master is an only son. This kind of thing must be endured even if it happens..."
Hearing this, Luo Shu became angry again and looked out the door: "Why are you still standing? Go back and stuff that big-footed girl into the wing and lock it. Don't stop eating and drinking!"
The family left in disgrace.
After the family members left, Eleven Cavalry and Luo Shu were left to continue discussing the final fight. The discussion lasted until evening before they dispersed.
As soon as they got out of the house, the eleven riders went to various parts of the city to reorganize the army and horses. In the evening, they inevitably went to inspect the city walls. Before the third watch, four or five of them naturally gathered on the turret in the southwest corner of the city.
These people did not intend to form any conspiracy group, but as a group of the Eighteen Cavalry with poorer cultivation and other abilities, they usually had to do it in military camps, city walls, inns, and even at Luo Shu's residence.
We go on patrol in the evening, and after that we drink hot soup, talk, and then disperse to rest.
It's a routine.
Moreover, this kind of scene is also the time when several people are most relaxed and comfortable.
But today...
"Fortunately, Sixth Brother still remembers the return of the young master at the end of last month, otherwise I don't know how it will end today... I didn't even dare to let Xiaotian come over." After sitting in silence for a while, one of the young men said quietly. "Brother Bai, Lao Zhang and the others
Everyone has to leave or die, so Brother Six has to make more decisions."
The elderly officer surnamed Lin, who had spoken out to resolve the great difficulty during the day, was silent for a moment, and then responded dully: "What can I remember? I made everything up about coming back at the end of the month."
Several people were stunned for a moment.
"In this case..." One of the knights was sweating profusely. "In this case, if someone reminds me again, will the girl from the Wei family still die? Brother Lin Liu will also be implicated?"
"It doesn't matter if I die, but we can't let him kill innocent people indiscriminately!" Officer Lin said solemnly. "But you don't have to worry too much. Manager Naluo didn't say anything to expose me outside the door today. He will naturally deal with it when he goes back."
"Then..."
"Let's talk about it later the day after tomorrow."
"Can we really succeed the night after tomorrow? If we succeed, we will be able to get out of trouble? I'm afraid that even if I win, I will only continue to suffer like this, and then I will become even more insane!"
"You're right. I'm afraid that when we send out troops in the future, we will follow Xue Changxiong's example and collapse... Playing with people's hearts is what that guy is good at."
"So what?"
"I think everyone should go back and collect the children now, and just jump off the west city wall... If you look for Brother Zhang, you will always have a foothold."
"It's easy to do this, but after so many years of loyalty, can you really leave him alone?"
"If you really want to control him, I'm afraid you guys will be surprised when you hear this... Let's do it together and kill him tomorrow night. It will save him from ruining his reputation as a hero for many years. In this way, we will bear the responsibility of brothers.
At the very least, he can be like Xue Changxiong and not leave a bad name in the army."
"This is our eldest brother and master after all, this is called murder!"
"What should we do?"
A few brothers actually had different ideas, but there was no doubt that everyone was extremely disappointed with Luo Shu.
After all, the last few people still looked at the person who rescued Wei Wenda's big-footed daughter today... After the latter opened his mouth, he has been sitting in the window of the watchtower, leaning against the wall next to the oil lamp.
Don't know what to think.
Seeing everyone coming to see him, the officer surnamed Lin knew that he could not hide away, so he had no choice but to say: "Everyone, to be fair, our eldest brother was still a very good person when he was a general...
Standing up for the local military officers and taking care of the local heroes, although it can't be said to promote good, but it still resists evil, and everyone admires it, otherwise how can we get together?"
"Brother Six, what's the use of saying this? Is today the past?!"
"Yes, if he can be a general for the rest of his life, not to mention a general, he might as well be a general manager, but if he doesn't have the ambition to conquer the world, he can only be a leader of the gang, and we can be a leader to support him, he will still look like a hero! But he
I actually dreamed of conquering the world. I believed Li Shu’s nonsense all day long before he went away. Before I went out this time, I told me to clean Linsang Palace for him when I came back... Is this what he can think of? Everyone knows how to let everyone
Chief, live in!"
"I just wanted to say this... Looking at it now, our eldest brother is not a great hero, he is just an ordinary hero. If he was in the previous heroic situation, he could handle it no matter what, but being a general manager does not count.
Still thinking about competing for the world, this is what is called a corporal with ambition, but he is not as good as a mediocre person, and his own situation is ruined."
"Brothers, what you said is correct." Officer Lin quickly interrupted these people. "So, we must not only remember how good he was back then, but also understand that he is incorrigible now..."
"Brother Six, tell me what to do!" Someone else became impatient. "We listen to you."
"Okay... I mean, in the battle the night after tomorrow, we risk our lives to fight for him, which can be regarded as repaying our old kindness." Officer surnamed Lin responded seriously. "But after this battle, we will also
I have done my best to be benevolent and righteous, so regardless of victory or defeat, or the number of people who return to the city, I will take all the family members and leave... Let’s go first, and we will have nothing to do with him after he leaves, and then we will discuss where to contact him.”
Several people fell silent and made eye contact several times, but no words were spoken.
Finally, probably after realizing that everyone had to agree to this plan, someone broke the silence: "Where are the other brothers?"
"We are all brothers, so of course we have to go together. I will go to them and make it clear right away... Don't move. Tonight and tomorrow, I will find opportunities to say it one by one. If someone really leaks it, it will only be on me.
"
"What about the daughter of the Wei family?" someone asked again.
"That is not only the daughter of the Wei family, but also the daughter-in-law of our eldest brother. He doesn't recognize it himself, but we have to recognize it. Not only do we recognize it, but we also need to save it... When the time comes, I will go directly to rescue people and lead them out of the city... Later
I'll leave the matter to you." At this point, Lin Liufu took a shaky breath again. "If there is any commotion at that time, you all should ignore it. If neither I nor the daughter of the Wei family comes out, neither will you.
Just take care of it and just take care of my house for me... Unless I don’t come back after the incident tomorrow, Lao Feng will do it for me."
One of them quickly responded, while the remaining people looked at each other in confusion. They wanted to speak, but Lin Liu waved his hand to stop him. Then he directly decided on the escape route and the place where his family members would gather, including the executor and alternate executor of the plan.
By this time, it was already the third watch, so they dispersed. Lin Liu also walked out of the watchtower, but looked at the linked double moons above his head, and fell into confusion for a moment... He was the one who saved people during the day, and he had just made a decision.
It was him who wanted to run away, and no matter how you put it, their behavior was actually a conspiracy to rebel, and he, Lin Liu, was the leader of this rebellion.
Although he became a rebel leader, after more than ten years of experience, how could he be so easily dismissed as nothing?
How many decades do you have in your life? It is still the best decade in your life!
How can we not be sad that things have reached this point?
And when I think about how heartbroken Bai Xiangui and Zhang Gongshen were at that time, they feel even more heartbroken now.
After stopping for a long time, the man moved with difficulty, looking for someone, and found two brothers who were far away along the city wall. He explained the whole story and got a promise to join the group. He wanted to take a break, but suddenly he thought of one person and ignored him.
It was dark and exhausted, so I came here specifically to look for Xiao Tian who had tried to make a comeback during the day but failed.
Xiao Tian was the younger one among the Eighteen Riders. He had a promiscuous temperament and had not yet married. His father died during the Second Expedition, so he only lived in a small courtyard with his mother. When Lin Liu arrived at the place, he did not call the door and directly lit the weak water.
Infuriated, he gently turned into the wall.
As expected, Xiaotian didn't sleep either. When he saw the visitor, he was more happy than surprised.
The two of them sat down by the manger in the backyard. Lin Liu was about to speak, but Xiao Tian beat him to it: "Brother Liu, I have been afraid since I came back. I don't even dare to go to the city for fear of causing suspicion..."
"Why are you afraid to go here?" Lin Liu quickly comforted. "Compared with the other defeated soldiers in the city, the only ones he can use are us. We are his eyes, ears, arms, and foundation... don't be afraid of anything.
You can do anything boldly.”
"Brother Six, I'm still flustered." Xiaotian obviously didn't hear the other party's hint, and just pursed his lips and said. "The more I think about it after I come back, the more and more something is wrong. I always feel that brother is too... too scary this time."
"Of course he is crazy. Wei Wenda fought hard against the three masters and was defeated. The daughter of the Wei family is naturally blameless. What's more, she is his daughter-in-law. She is one of the few relatives he has in the world. She should have loved him more, but she actually wants to kill her.
..." Lin Liu had no choice but to repeat what he had said to several people before.
"It's not just this." Xiaotian lowered his head and said. "Sixth brother, if you just think about the death of your only son and the loss of your in-laws, you can just kill someone in anger... I sat and thought for a while, and I was most afraid that he did it on purpose.
.”
"On purpose? What do you mean?"
"Isn't he going to lead us on a surprise attack in the future?"
"yes."
"Those who lead the troops themselves don't know that although Youzhou City is huge, the only ones that can really be used at that time are the thousands of people he gathered when he was the second lieutenant general and the thousands of us who gathered for him.
people, and the rest are broken soldiers and civilians who cannot listen to the slightest disturbance?"
"There is no commotion, there is no commotion, and people have been surrendering in the past few days..."
"So, since he knew that killing Wei Wenda's daughter would alienate Wei Wenda's old troops, and even said that defection was inevitable... why did he still kill her?" Xiaotian asked with difficulty.
Lin Liukang was about to say the word "crazy", but he suddenly hesitated, and then his already cold heart became even colder... After a while, he slowly spoke: "Xiaotian, do you think that he killed the daughter of the Wei family?
In order to make Wei Wenda's old troops defect and paralyze the army so that he can make a surprise attack in the future?"
"Yes..." Xiaotian replied with difficulty. "Brother Six, if this is the case, I only think us elder brothers will be even more scary."
Lin Liu was silent for a moment, and then suddenly said with a smile: "Maybe, but it doesn't matter, it's all the same... Xiaotian, I came to you for a reason. After the war in the future, we will take the opportunity to escape and take you with me.
That’s my mother.”
Oda was startled, then nodded directly: "Okay, if that's the case, it really doesn't matter."
Not to mention that night, the next day, for some unknown reason, the news came out that the manager imprisoned Wei Wenda's daughter and his own daughter-in-law, and even tried to kill him directly but was stopped. The city was obviously shaken that day.
There was even a scene where the defeated army of Wei Wenda's old army tried to organize and seize the west section of the city wall but was ambushed in the street. Not to mention the strong men of the common people took the opportunity to escape while inspecting the city wall.
This is only the turmoil at the lower levels, and the middle and high levels are also in turmoil, because the news of the surrender of Yuyang Prefect Yang Gui also came last night. This is undoubtedly a huge danger signal... In fact, starting from this afternoon, Chief Zhang
There was an endless stream.
However, the generals and local families who had fled before were mainly powerful, and the troops, population, and industries they controlled were all limited. However, among the prefects, generals, and famous families who still controlled the city and organized the army, only Yang Gui arrived.
.
But this situation changed one day later, in the early morning of March 24th.
"Call me at this time?" Zhang Xing seemed a little angry after being called out. "Did Luo Shu come out?"
"No." Wang Xiongdan said carefully. "Someone came to surrender..."
"Come and surrender, come and surrender, let them rest until dawn." Zhang Xing was still a little confused.
"A lot of people are coming in an endless stream. Within half an hour, there were four generals and three prefects intermittently, and most of them should be from the west... So let's ask the chief." Wang Xiongdan explained briefly.
"Interesting." After saying that, Zhang Xing stood up and went to take a look.
However, in late spring, it was already sultry at night. Zhang Xing was sweating while sleeping, and felt a little hot when he woke up. His clothes were actually a little sticky when they were on his body... But he couldn't go shirtless to see people, so he simply used Ice
I was really angry, but as soon as the cold air came out, my skin felt tight again, so I frowned and asked Wang Xiongdan:
"There's no movement in the city?"
"No."
"Then they're gone. Place them in the side hall and provide them with food, drink and sleep. I'll take a nap first and talk about it tomorrow." Zhang Xing said, unbuttoned his clothes and lay down.
Wang Xiongdan didn't have any surprise or hesitation, and left directly... There was no way, as the person who was probably the most familiar with the chief's work style, he knew the other person's temper. If he said he wanted to sleep, he would sleep, and if he said he wanted to eat, he would do it.
If you want cake, you have to eat cake. Even the supreme gods can’t stop you.
In fact, Wang Xiongdan has seen a lot and knows a lot about this Mr. Zhang. Sometimes it makes sense to sleep and eat cakes, but sometimes it is just a disguised form of setting rules, and the more things that others think are incredible,
The more noble a person is, the more stubborn he is.
I just need to tell these people clearly, you guys, that these things are not as important as eating bread and sleeping.
However, Wang Xiongdan himself had no objection at all, because he knew very well that this man's arrogance was only towards dignitaries and powerful men in the traditional sense, but he was able to show off to others below. As a bandit, he was hungry when he was young.
As a wandering man, these willful and willful behaviors actually made him feel a little relieved... But sometimes, Wang Xiongdan would also think about whether his ideas were originally in line with the approach of the chief who was a local vanguard, or whether he had been with the chief for a long time.
, was it affected in turn?
Of course, it was impossible for Wang Xiongdan, who had become independent, to reveal all these little thoughts. His expression remained normal throughout the whole process, from receiving the descendants to calling Chief Zhang when he entered, and then going out to rearrange the residence of these people.
There was no words in the middle of the night. After dawn, Zhang Xing got up and was told that there was no movement in the city last night. He was also told that there had been a steady stream of people coming to surrender throughout the early morning, and the reason was now correct. It was Li Ding who was directly under the jurisdiction of Shanggu County and Youzhou.
A great victory was fought at the junction of Guangning County and Guangning County... and it was obvious that the first few surrender troops to arrive actually ran faster than the army's military reports.
After hearing the whole story, how could Mr. Zhang not know that the situation has become more stable?
So, he put on the charisma of the Lord of Hebei, washed his face and hair, ate porridge and fried dough, then went to the toilet and came back, putting on a new red uniform.
Everything was tidied up, and he had just decided to summon those people, but Yuan Baocun arrived in person. He excitedly informed that Lu Sidao, the head of the Lu family in Youzhou, had abandoned Qing Xiu and arrived in person immediately. Zhang Xing actually sat in front of the main hall again and basked in the sun. After watching the sun, at the same time listening to Ma Wei, Feng Chang, Xu Jingzu continued to report intelligence and waited.
It was at this time that Zhang Xing knew how Li Ding fought this battle.
"Internal response? Who?" Chief Zhang asked in surprise.
"Deng Long, a former lieutenant general in the Youzhou camp, attacked Xiangguo and Zhaojun before Li Longtou joined the gang. He defeated him on the battlefield and surrendered." Xu Jingzu quickly reported. "Later in Wu'an. After staying for only half a year, he escaped again. It is said that he did not dare to return to Youzhou. Li Ding treated him harshly, so he went to join the Second High School of Dai County and became a general..."
"Ha!" Zhang Xing couldn't help but sneer.
This is called Huang Tu's hegemony. Li Si really wanted to sweep Hebei and become the emperor himself.
Xu Jingzu and Chief Zhang finished their work and continued to report: "This battle is actually very simple. Daijun Ergao and Hengshan Wang Chenkuo and some generals from Youzhou have joined forces. The Youzhou military generals are responsible for luring the enemy deep, and the Ergao and Wang Chenkuo set up an ambush. There was a valley on the other side of the Juma River. As a result, Li Longtou's entire army pressed forward, but he used Qi Ze and the two temporary chiefs of Gaoshi Province as a cover to cross the river. The main force crossed the river in advance downstream, and then went around to the rear of the ambush valley. , Er Gao and Wang Chenkuo were worried that their retreat would be cut off, so they wanted to escape, but Deng Long took the opportunity to change his banner, and the bandits were almost wiped out... The specific results of the battle should be available in two days."
"Li Silang, who has no worries about his future, seems to have the air of a military god." Zhang Xing said quietly.
"This is all because the chief has a keen eye for recognizing heroes." Feng Changxing patted him. "And after this incident, Hebei will really be pacified."
"Li Silang is not the kind of talent who will be buried." Zhang Xing sighed quietly. "In these troubled times, it is simply God's will to give birth to a person like him."
There was no mention of the unification of Hebei.
A few people wanted to say something, but then they saw Yuan Baocun walking quickly as if his feet were in the wind... He has been walking very diligently in the past few days.
When he came to the front, Yuan Baocun handed over his hand and asked: "Chief, Mr. Lu is here. Do you want to see Mr. Lu alone?"
"Does he have any intention to harm the military situation?" Zhang Xing was surprised for a moment.
"Of course not." Yuan Baocun choked and quickly explained. "But Lu Gong is considered a popular figure in Youzhou, and he has mastered the key to prosperity and decline through three dynasties. Chief, you might gain something by talking to him."
"It doesn't matter, since it's a matter of rise and fall, let's all come and listen." With that, Zhang Xing waved his hand to end the intelligence gathering. "Please come over, Mr. Lu, set up a stool, and call those who surrendered too! "
Several people were immediately in awe. Wang Xiongdan immediately called in a whole team of soldiers. In a moment, Qin Bao also led a group of soldiers to prepare to enter and walked around to both sides of the hall behind Zhang Xing. Not to mention Niuhe,
I didn't know when he appeared, but I suddenly glanced at him and saw him.
Yuan Baocun even personally selected the widest bench, carefully studied the position, and placed it three steps down from the left side of the main hall steps where Chief Zhang was sitting, even at a slight angle.
When he was ready, he went to invite people in person, and Ma Wei also drove the extra people from last night to today to the square in front of the central hall of Linsang Palace, and the steps of the hall went forward to the word "deposed"
In the open space at the end of the flag, a bunch of benches were set up.
Seeing that they had seats, these people first breathed a sigh of relief. They wanted to salute, but were reminded by Wang Xiongdan that they could sit down directly without saluting, so they had no choice but to do it... But even though they came to surrender, there was an order. You push me, I
Pushing you, some people took the initiative to hide behind, while others took the initiative to move forward. After struggling for a while, just as they sat down, Yuan Baocun came in with Lu Sidao dressed as a Taoist priest, but he got up in a hurry and did not dare to salute.
, just stood there with hands tied, watching the other party come forward.
Zhang Xing saw that the other party had freckles on his beard and hair, and he was indeed older, so he did not continue to put on airs. He finally stood up and bowed his hands in salute, calling him Lu Gong. He then held the other party with one hand, picked up the stool on the steps with the other, and put it in front of him.
in the middle, and then sit down together.
On the contrary, I let Yuan Baocun sit around for half a day in vain.
Seeing this, the people who surrendered below breathed a sigh of relief and sat down one after another.
Above, Zhang Xing chatted with Lu Sidao for a few words, asked each other about his age, and knew that the Taoist priest's clothing only meant that he left home to escape the secular world, and did not really serve any Supreme Being. He also knew that the other party did have a grandnephew below.
Sitting there, I had nothing to say, so I looked down at Jiang Ren.
To be honest, Zhang Xing knew that Li Ding had won a battle and caused a shock, and he also knew that Luo Shu here in Youzhou was looking at the end of the road and was getting more and more out of control. It was said that his daughter-in-law was almost killed yesterday, so naturally there was a big difference in Youzhou.
I was shaken, but I didn’t expect so many people to gather at this midnight.
Looking down from above, I saw a large area of black people sitting there.
"You can tell us your name, age, place of origin, position, and some personal experience. In order of seating, from left to right, from front to back, stand up and speak in turn." The person who spoke was Feng Chang.
Although I had to fill out the form in the dark when I first arrived, the descendants did not dare to neglect at this time and immediately stood up the first person in order:
"Jianren Tian Xing, fifty-six years old, from Haiyang, Beiping County, Youzhou. He was originally the prefect of Daning County directly under Youzhou."
At this point, the man's words were obviously sour: "I surrendered in Daning, close to the Sea of Bitterness. The place is narrow. I don't know the chief's virtue and the power of the gang. I heard that Luo Shu was defeated and wanted to gather a crowd to resist. As a result, I wanted to fight with Li yesterday."
In the battle of Longtou, before we even reached the battle line, we heard that the troops in front were defeated like mountains. Knowing that the situation was over and that destiny was helping, we retreated to Qiaoshan with the remaining troops. I and Lieutenant Han from this county came together to surrender... If the chief is generous,
, I dare not say that I have done all the hard work, I just hope that I can return home safely to study and practice."
"Since there has been no battle, and the city has been broken, and we have come to surrender before marching, we can naturally come and go as we please... If you want to return home, you can do it, and if you want to stay, you must be employed." Zhang Xing was generous and could be considered a reiterater.
the previous conditions.
Just follow the rules.
"Thank you, chief."
If the first person shows up, things will naturally go smoothly later on.
Upon closer inspection, most of them are working or living in the western half of Youzhou. Most of them are also from Youzhou locals. They are the tigers that Zhang Xing has been waiting for for a long time... There are no more than three types of surnames.
The main ones are Zetian, Gao, Yang, and Lu, which are the elite families in the southern foothills of Youzhou; the second group is mainly dominated by dual surnames, which is the characteristic of the mixed tribes of the Wu tribe and the Northland who came from the sea of suffering and followed the rise of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
;Three simple surnames that are black, white, red and yellow and have the characteristics of the Northern Dang Demon Guard.
However, after dozens of people finished speaking, Chief Zhang's attention was diverted as usual: "Mr. Lu, I know many counties in Youzhou, but why are there so many, and I can't even name many of them? What can you say?
?”
"To be honest, Chief, Youzhou does have many counties, and the reason is very simple." Lu Sidao said with a smile. "It is the Great Zhou, the Eastern Qi, and the Great Wei. They are three overlapping places... The Great Zhou started in northern Shanxi, so in Youzhou
On the west side, several more counties were set up, including Shanggu and Daijun, as well as Daning, Guangning, and Piancheng. The Eastern Qi established themselves in Hebei, but they could not stabilize the north, so they were at the northern foot of Yanshan Mountain, inside and outside Thudao Ridge.
Several military border counties were set up, including Anle, Liaoxi, Beiping, Guangyang, and Miyun... Even today's Bailangwei, Tieshanwei, Luobo City, and Liucheng were all once established as counties;
When the Wei Dynasty came, firstly because they still wanted to invade the north, and secondly because there were indeed many aristocratic families in the local military affairs, they simply took everything inside and outside Yanshan, taking Fanyang, Yuyang, and Yanjun as the three core counties of Youzhou.
The inner and outer parts of the country merged into one governor-general state, but retained many small counties below, which is why we have the current situation."
Zhang Xing suddenly realized: "Someone has made it clear to me. I can't even look at the map these days."
"Of course it's easy to get confused. The names of many places have been changed. This county was given to that city, and that city changed places. That is to say, only the locals know the whole story." Lu Sidao smiled and asked again. "But, no.
Is there any rumor that Chief Zhang grew up in Tieshanwei? I don’t know the origin?”
Zhang Xing smiled bitterly: "When I came out of the north and went to Yecheng to recruit vanguard soldiers, I hadn't even read "The Biography of Li Yue". How could I care about this?"
Lu Sidao was finally surprised: "So, Chief Zhang is actually a genius? It's only been a few years... I heard someone recount the chief's debate with the Grand Master and the Grand Master on Hongshan Mountain. It seemed to have been in my mind for a long time.
Don’t be confused, you have your own way... Is this also what you read in "The Biography of Li Yue"?"
Zhang Xing naturally couldn't explain it, and he didn't want to cover it up with the Black Emperor's choice, so he was a little embarrassed and just laughed.
On the other side, Lu Sidao naturally didn't know that the other party was embarrassed, but it didn't matter if he did, because since he was still being carried here at his age, he must have made an explanation for the Youzhou people, so he hesitated for a moment and then spoke on his own.
Go down:
"When it comes to being clear-minded and wise, I'm far behind Chief Zhang.
"When I was young, because I was born in the Lu family, I went to school and practice early. I thought I was a genius, and no one looked down on me. My favorite thing to do was to go out and travel in the bright spring, and use my true energy to climb up and down. I was about sixteen years old.
That year, when I arrived at Thudao Ridge, I saw a man who was obviously a demon guard coming from the north carrying a large stone monument. He said he was going to replace the ancient monument that had been buried in the road by flash floods and was missing. Because he saw that he was carrying the monument alone as if he was carrying nothing.
And the stele was actually a bluestone stele without any words, so he followed it out of curiosity.
"When we arrived at the place, the man put down the stone tablet and stuffed it into the base. He then took out an awl and circulated his Qi. He finished carving the words as easily as if he were writing on them. After he finished carving, he came to ask me: 'What do you think this young man recognizes'?
"Ancient characters?" I was originally surprised that the other party was so advanced in cultivation but so simple in his actions. Now I looked at it, and it turned out that many of the characters were confused, and I didn't know what they meant when they were connected together. I couldn't help but feel ashamed, so I hid my face and left.
, closed the door and started reading again.
"With this cultivation, the Great Zhou Dynasty became a balance between east and west. I was almost thirty years old when I came to serve as an official. Although it was a troubled time this time, the official's work was extremely smooth. Some people who rebelled were pardoned. When the time comes,
During the establishment of the Eastern Qi Dynasty, I was even close to the King of Hengshan at that time. When he was the emperor for a few years, I was naturally the icing on the cake. I was almost half the Xianggong of Nanya. My cultivation level also condensed early and I began to visualize external objects.
...most of the wonderful things in life occur in those years.
"It's just that the Eastern Qi royal family killed each other and used sycophancy. After a few years, it took a turn for the worse. I was imprisoned several times and almost died. Although I escaped with my life, my legs and feet became sick due to being broken many times.
His cultivation was stagnant, and he was often deliberately humiliated after losing power, so he returned to his hometown to study and educate the villagers.
"Later, when the Wei Dynasty came, I was already in my fifties. I just saw that the world was unified and had some aspirations. So regardless of my shame, I took the initiative to write a letter and ask for an official position. I thought that my family, reputation, and experience were all here.
, and when he met the founder of the Wei Dynasty in the Western Capital, he wrote poems and essays. I was also the first scribe to enter the court at that time. I thought that I could always be given a pattern of being an official in the court, but he just asked me to be the prefect of Wuyang.
…
"I knew at that time that the Wei Dynasty was indeed based on Guanlong as rumored, and it was impossible to really use me. So after two years as a prefect, I abandoned my official position and returned home, put on Taoist robes, and only lived in a small village in the countryside.
Grinding ancient inscriptions in Black Emperor Temple."
At this point, Yuanbaocun, a descendant of the former Zhou royal family who relied on Wuyang County to separate the country and got into the current situation, almost lost his grip... Well, the treasure that he cherishes so much, the foundation, is a thing that others have discarded.
Not being reused is evidence of being treated unfairly.
Lu Sidao didn't care what Yuan Baocun thought. After he finished speaking, he came to ask Zhang Xing: "Chief Zhang, you said that I have lived for more than seventy years in my life and have lived through three dynasties. It's just that I was ignorant when I was young. Why have I been ignorant for most of my life?"
So unhappy that your hair turns white, your fingers are like dried ginger, and you don’t even know where you are heading?”
Zhang Xing smiled, and many subordinates below also stared at the chief.
Obviously, Lu Sidao's words were both a self-narration, a complaint, and a question. He was speaking on behalf of the entire civil and military clans in Youzhou. He was complaining and asking what would happen to them under Chief Zhang's rule.
What is the political future?
Are you still going to be bullied?
Of course, it may also be a bit of a demonstration. After all, after the three dynasties are gone, Youzhou still seems to be the Youzhou of Youzhou people.
However, the good thing about these words is that Lu Sidao did not tell any lies. What he stated was his personal true experience without any embellishment. Moreover, although the question was obscure, it was unavoidable.
What do you want to do to avoid this problem at this time?
After Zhang Xing finished laughing, he did not continue to delay. Instead, he spoke directly, but his words were shocking: "I think Mr. Lu's experience is indeed ordinary and is due to the current situation."
Lu Sidao's eyebrows jumped, but he knew that the other party had not finished speaking and he was well-educated, so he did not interrupt.
"I actually have a similar experience to Mr. Lu, but it's not about career and finances, but about ups and downs of mind." Zhang Xing continued to speak slowly, his smile not diminishing. "When I encountered injustice when I was young, I always felt that if I could
If you maintain its strength and replace it, you will definitely do well. Later, after hanging around in the Eastern Capital for a few years, I saw the most disgusting side of the center, and I was so angry that I wished I could sweep away the world and establish a new world. However, this
Didn't you really come to rebel? Then you know that everything has a beginning, one beginning after another, the ups and downs of the world are all caused by one thing after another since ancient times. People live in it and want to make a difference.
Firstly, we must respect the past and follow the trend; secondly, we must sort out the clues and clarify the context, so that we can prescribe the right medicine and add some good context..."
"Is this what Chief Hongshan said about 'working hard'?" Lu Sidao blurted out. "As long as you keep doing good things, new things, and things that make the world prosperous, even if the world has twists and turns, it will definitely get better."
"Exactly this, Mr. Lu really listened to what I said." Zhang Xing smiled even happier.
"Then I dare to ask, which context is responsible for the current situation that the chief said, and how does the chief plan to add new things to this context?" Lu Sidao asked.
"It's very simple. In my opinion, the unfavorable situation in Lu Gong's three dynasties was actually a misalignment problem caused by 'where did the government come from?'" Zhang Xing, who was sitting on the bench, became a little serious.
Lu Sidao must have thought carefully about his life many times, and he has obviously studied Chief Zhang's thoughts and theories. Therefore, when the other party said these words, although it can't be called a tiger's body, he was shocked.
I also felt a little dazed for a moment.
As for the following people who descended from Youzhou, there are mixed reactions... There must be some people who can understand what they are talking about, but there must be some who are confused, and there must be some who know how to pretend to be confused, and some who are confused and pretend to understand.
In addition, most of the military elites present had to keep a straight face, which made the atmosphere even more weird.
"Three radiances and four emperors... The historical context before Emperor Bai is only approximate, so we won't go into details. We will only talk about it after the return of the four emperors." Zhang Xing said happily. "First of all, Emperor Bai's unification of the world has not yet been completed.
The country collapsed, and the borders were sealed. At the time of "The Legend of Li Yue", the ancestor emperor and the two prides fought together. Although the sword was thrown into the mountains and the great cause collapsed, in the end, they took over the world and established the successor of the Tang Emperor... So far
Until now, the government decrees of the world have actually been transferred from the feudal localities to the central government, from the rule of nobles to the rule of the world by the documents of the scribes.
"And because the family has been under one roof since ancient times, it can actually be said that government comes from the emperor."
"Well said!" Lu Sidao raised his palms in approval.
"However, government comes from the emperor, and the emperor is only one person. One person's good will bring great good to the world, and one person's evil... I won't give an example here. Cao Che's bones are still cold... In addition to the grammar officials and Wenxiu,
Martial arts were inherently powerful. When powerful men committed evil deeds against the emperor, they caused the political collapse of the former Tang Dynasty. Then local governments were divided and people moved south. From the late Tang Dynasty, it gradually declined until the emergence of the Great Zhou Dynasty. At this time, the world's
The direction is 'politics comes from the family'." After saying this, Zhang Xing looked at Lu Sidao beside him, and his tone became much higher. "What do you think, Mr. Lu?"
"It makes sense." Lu Sidao thought for a while and nodded. "Political affairs came from the emperor who caused chaos in the world, so they were assigned to powerful literary, military, and literary officials. And they didn't have their own court, so they relied on their families.
Limiting it to the clan, using the shell of the imperial court to make political orders... This is exactly the trend in the decline of the former Tang Dynasty and the chaos that followed."
"It's just like this. It's just that after two hundred years of chaos, the people of the world finally realized that politics coming from the family is worse than politics coming from the emperor." Zhang Xing sighed. "Politics coming from the emperor, maybe ten miles away.
You can meet one or two good emperors, and the government is from the family, but everything is normal;
“If government comes from the emperor, it only needs to be worshiped by one person; if government comes from the family, it must be worshiped by all the nobles of the family;
"Government comes from the emperor, and the common people still have some opportunities to be harmed by the emperor; government comes from the family, and even poor families cannot enter the palace;
"What's even more terrible is that in the past, the reason why the government was able to be established was because of the emperor. It was not that people desperately wanted to give this government to the emperor, but that the countries were in dispute. There was no place without war, no day without war. War itself is the world.
The greatest evil government must be to use the government of one body to avoid such disputes. But now that the government comes from the family, the people of the world have spent two hundred years of decline and thousands of zombies to re-recognize the need for unity, so they are arrogant.
Since the Zhou Dynasty, politics in the world has begun to come from the family, and gradually returned to politics from the emperor.
"Think about it for yourself, Lu Gong, the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Eastern Qi Dynasty, and the Great Wei Dynasty. There are so many bizarre stories and heroes among them. Is this the trend of change?"
Lu Sidao was silent for a long time, and then spoke slowly: "Yes... it is indeed this trend. The clans are becoming increasingly powerless, and the emperor is becoming more powerful. Even the Long clan, no matter how many times they have changed, the emperor is still the same."
Even here in the Eastern Qi Dynasty, the military clans of Jin and the aristocratic clans of Hebei gradually gave way to the power of the emperor... Generally speaking, this is the trend. Chief Zhang, you are indeed a genius. I have never seen through it in my life.
The things that come to you are clearly explained in one word."
Zhang Xing did not comment, but said with relief: "Luke Lu is just in the game... Before you were born, the political trends for two hundred years were all from the family, not to mention that you are from a first-class family in the world, so naturally this is the golden rule.
, and then from the beginning of his career, he happened to encounter the general trend of the world and went downhill. This downhill road is naturally the general trend for a boy like me, but for you, it is actually a life and death honor and disgrace... How can you easily get rid of it?
"
"For the rest of my life, I often thought, why do those noble people in Dong Qi deliberately humiliate me again and again? Why would they rather use traitors than me? Is this actually in line with heaven?" Lu Sidao's words became difficult. "Do I deserve to be humiliated?"
"Gong Lu is overthinking this. It is a common method for those in power to humiliate a family as a means of suppression, but it is always wrong to humiliate people for no reason." Zhang Xing said with a smile. "The general trend is the general trend, and the reality is reality... But no matter what,
, times have changed, it’s always right.”
Lu Sidao lowered his head for a long time before he recovered, and then sighed: "That's right, I was in the game and got carried away."
Zhang Xing said nothing.
"Chief Zhang." After Lu Sidao sighed, his words became much clearer. "If that's the case, I still have a question."
"Mr. Lu, please speak."
"Without him, since Chief Zhang has seen through the general trend in his heart, why didn't he become the emperor according to the general trend you said? And I heard that Chief Zhang specially raised a huge banner during his expedition to the north, called "
'Walking the Way for Heaven', then I dare to ask, what kind of way does Chief Zhang want to practice?"
"It's very simple. I want to follow my own path, abolish the bad aspects of 'Government comes from the emperor', take the good places, and create 'Government comes from the help'." Zhang Xing's words were concise and to the point.
"What should I say? What should be abolished and what should be taken? Chief Zhang will no longer be the emperor?"
"The deposed emperor is good at benefiting the whole world for the benefit of one person, and he has centralized power to unite the whole world. At the same time, he continues to comply with the mandate of heaven, suppress the politics of his family, and share the interests of the world." Zhang Xing opened his mouth, but he had no choice but to almost memorize it.
"As for the emperor, you can do it or not... If there are setbacks in my career and I can't gather my strength without being the emperor, I will do it; and if everything goes well, it doesn't matter whether I do it or not. Anyway, my ambition is not in this world, and
This emperor is not what he was before."
Lu Sidao took a few deep breaths and looked at the clear sky.
"As for Youzhou specifically..." Zhang Xing finally looked at the surrendered people again. "First of all, no one is allowed to compete with me in the affairs of the family, regardless of civil or military affairs, and those who have illusions can leave now. I will never
Detention, we have seen each other with swords and guns before talking about other things. If the province makes trouble in the future, it will not be good for us. Don’t doubt that my previous words of family punishment were aimed at the family that controls the military and political affairs in Youzhou;
"Secondly, as long as you abandon the politics of your family and follow the politics of gangs, you don't have to worry about being humiliated or suppressed by others. I regard Hebei as the foundation and the world as one, and I select people based on their talent and virtue. I dare not say that I am not biased, but I am not biased.
Will try to be fair."
There was some commotion below, but no one dared to speak.
Lu Sidao came to his senses and took the initiative to ask on behalf of these people: "But Chief Zhang, what if your teaching is wrong?"
He did not ask questions such as "What should you do if people change your ways later", because he had already heard many of the chief's words and corresponding answers from other people... They don't care, they have a clear conscience, they
It’s about transcending this world.
So, he only asked this question.
"If you're wrong, you still have to follow my way." Zhang Xing sat on a bench and answered this sentence at a very fast speed like a debate. "Otherwise, why are you here?"
Lu Sidao said nothing.
There was no sound from anyone descending below.
The surrounding sergeants, generals, clerks, and soldiers were all silent.
The entire open space in front of the main hall was silent.
Qin Bao held his arms in his arms and watched this scene in front of the side door of the rear hall, with no waves in his heart... This is the way his brother Zhang behaves. If you want to argue, he is willing to argue, even likes to argue, but he never expects words to be able to do it.
He overwhelms the opponent and never wavers in his own course and actions.
Of course, from the perspective of Youzhou people, this is considered to be the best.
Qin Bao even suspected that even if Li Ding's side was defeated for a while, these Youzhou people would come to surrender, because they had no choice in the first place, but based on the folk customs of Youzhou, they always wanted to punch him before coming to bow.
After being punched and his arm was broken, I had no choice but to come down and surrender. I didn't forget to invite an old literary man to make a soft cushion.
That's enough.
Thinking of this, Qin Bao couldn't help but look towards the east wall again... He was curious whether his uncle could still punch?
But soon, Qin Bao's reverie was interrupted.
Under the morning sun, the freckle-faced Lu Sidao stood up from the bench, walked to the bottom of the steps, then turned around, turned his back to the descendants, and bowed respectfully to Zhang Xing.
The people behind him did not dare to neglect and stood up one after another.
At this time, Lu Sidao had turned around to face these Youzhou Township Party members, and spoke sincerely: "Fellow villagers, you invited me to come, so I came. Now I can also tell you that the gang is not an ordinary ambition to strengthen the country. Zhang
Chief Zhang is not just a military man from the north. He is a man of great strategic planning. I have experienced three dynasties and more than ten emperors in my life, and I have met countless heroes. There is really no one who understands the general situation as well as Chief Zhang. This alone makes him a great person.
It is enough to establish a foothold in Hebei, not to mention that today, people are approaching the city and opening up to us... I am old and can no longer enter the world to seek new things, but you should cherish this opportunity, listen to my words, bow down here, and be willing to be the vanguard, you will win.
My early years were wasted."
As soon as these words came out, there was a slight stir below, and then some people bowed down directly, and then a large number of them bowed down in panic.
But some people did not bow down, but turned their hands aside and bowed their heads in silence.
Obviously, these people are here just to save their lives.
That's okay.
Just after Chief Zhang stood up to return the salute, and everyone thought that the drama was over, Lu Sidao suddenly spoke again: "Chief Zhang, since they have already saluted, and I would like to do your best, I have a merciless request... which is both beneficial and beneficial.
Chief Zhang's attack on Youzhou can be regarded as the first service these people have done for the chief. Of course, it is also my selfish desire to save someone."
When Zhang Xing heard the last word, he seemed to have woken up and asked with a smile, "Who do you want Duke Lu to persuade to surrender for me?"
"Luo Shu is hopeless, and those who deserve to be persuaded to surrender are naturally the counties in the east of Youzhou and the leaders of the defeated army hiding there. Didn't there only be Yang Gui, the governor of Yuyang County, who surrendered in the east?" Lu Sidao continued to cup his hands and said.
Chief, give us a chance... If we can bring all the remaining prefects of the four counties in the east before dawn tomorrow, please count these people as surrendering today, and save their heads in vain... Of course, this is
My selfishness, after all, no one knows when this Youzhou City will collapse."
"Since Mr. Lu has said it, why not?" Zhang Xing said with a smile. "It's a deal. If the governors of the four eastern counties all come here before dawn tomorrow, then all the surrenders you brought back will be considered surrendered now."
Just like that, before noon, Lu Sidao took the people away.
I don’t know if it was Lu Sidao’s crow’s mouth, but in the afternoon, the city of Youzhou also started to become noisy.
At such a close distance, fleeing people continued to take the opportunity to climb over the wall. The army stationed at Linsang Palace in the northwest of the city soon realized what had happened - in the huge Youzhou City, the Youzhou army was trying to change defenses and assemble.
Obviously, what everyone expected happened - Luo Shu, under heavy pressure, had to make a final struggle.
It's just that this struggle is a bit strenuous. He just gathered reliable troops and caused riots in his base camp, which inevitably makes people doubt the results of his struggle.
"Chief." After climbing down from the high platform, Feng Chang, who was obviously a little flustered, walked up to Zhang Xing who was putting on his clothes and asked carefully. "What if Luo Shu just feigned a shot? He didn't come to attack us, he just pretended to attack us.
, so what if we take the opportunity to escape?"
Zhang Xing didn't speak in time, he was putting on his shoulder armor.
At this moment, Xu Jingzu, who was assisting Zhang Xing in dressing up, suddenly said, "Then let him go. When he leaves, the people of Youzhou will be left to us! Isn't that why the chief is waiting here?"
Feng Chang stared blankly at the young man in front of him who was a native of Hebei Province, a junior in Jiangdu, and a junior clerk, and was speechless for a moment.
He was speechless not only because the other party was becoming more and more aggressive, trying to get ahead of himself regardless of the order, but also because as soon as the other party finished speaking, he realized that what the other party said seemed to be right.
This is what the chief must have thought. His words in the morning clearly meant this, but he didn't react as quickly as this young man.
In other words, the kid in front of me not only has the ambition to become a leader, but he also has the ability.
How awesome is this?!
The chaos lasted for an afternoon, and almost half of the city was out of order. However, Zhang Xing always stood still because, according to Ma Wei, Youzhou City was too big, so he helped the four battalions placed in the palace. Once they entered, they would
The rapid loss of combat effectiveness seemed dangerous... After all, during the turmoil, Luo Shu actually organized a cavalry of about four to five thousand people inside and outside Cangcheng in the east of the city.
More than 2,000 of them came from the city, and the remaining 2,000 or so people gathered from various places in the east of the city. They arrived one by one and divided into seven or eight groups.
The strength of such an army was only one-tenth of what it was when the Youzhou Army marched south with great momentum half a month ago, but now people are surprised by its existence.
"Can Luo Shu still be able to win over so many people?" Wang Shuyong, the actual head coach of the army, was a little surprised.
"He himself has been serving as the second lieutenant general of the Youzhou camp all year round, and he also has the Eighteen Cavalry of Yanyun as minions. After being promoted to the general manager, most of them were released to lead the troops. Now that the army has been defeated, there are still a dozen or so who are still alive.
We can bring some people... but each person can only bring two teams of people, so together they are enough." Ma Wei explained briefly.
"Actually, it doesn't matter." Wang Shuyong thought about it for a moment and felt calm. "It's just futile to let him attack with four to five thousand riders."
"I'm afraid I won't come out here." Xu Shiren interjected. "We have strong troops here, why bother to come to us in the open and get bloody heads? Isn't it better to go to Cage Fire City?"
"That's right." Wang Shuyong sneered. "That bridge... the weather is warm, they crossed the river from Fuma in the east of the city, and then went straight to Longhuo City. We walked on the Youzhou Bridge in the dark, and there was no way we could provide adequate support."
At this point, Wang Wulang seemed a little confused and asked Ma Wei seriously: "In charge of Ma... why have we been here for several days and not thought of building a few pontoon bridges on the river? Could it be that we have lost our minds?"
"Of course not." Ma Wei explained helplessly. "Wu Lang, don't forget, our logistics line comes from Luci Ferry upstream. There are not only pontoons but also ships there."
Wang Wulang nodded, but after thinking about it, he was still puzzled: "But that's the case, why not build a few floating bridges here just in case?"
Ma Wei didn't say anything this time, and looked directly at Zhang Xing, who was there without saying a word.
The latter was originally thinking about something, but when he heard this, he simply answered: "I deliberately let Ma Branch take care of the loophole... I can't keep wasting it, right?"
Wang Shuyong was immediately relieved, but then he raised his hand and asked: "Chief, what should we do now?"
"I don't know." Zhang Xingguan said, "Just watch and discuss it."
Wang Wulang knew the other party's temper and stopped talking nonsense. Yuan Baocun followed those people to recruit him. When the routine was not there, he went directly to the palace with Xu Shiren, Qin Bao, Wang Xiongdan, Ma Wei, Feng Chang, Xu Jingzu and others.
The staff discussed.
However, firstly, the opponent's forces are limited, secondly, the distribution of our own forces is the same, and thirdly, the current situation is that Youzhou is already well established, so there is no need to act radically, but several conservative preparation plans were quickly made.
Immediately, Xu Shiren's troops evacuated from the west. Now, under the cover of the palace and Youzhou City, they crossed the river upstream and took the main road for a fifty-mile rapid march to Conghuo City for support.
Including Conghuo City, the four strongholds on the south side of Sanggan River naturally have words to pass by.
At the end of spring, the days were obviously getting longer and the nights were getting shorter, so it looked like it was evening, but it took a long time before it got dark. And after dark, the Youzhou Army really started to cross the river upstream... At this time, Wang Wulang was obviously
Feeling a little anxious, he really wanted to go around from the north of Youzhou City and poke this army in the butt, but he knew that Youzhou City was too big, and those people were all locals, so it would be too late to do anything after going around.
People will no longer be able to cross the river calmly.
But knowing it clearly didn't stop him from being restless.
In fact, when he saw Chief Zhang fishing and eating cakes and setting up a bench here these days, he had already roughly guessed something. Ma Wei also took the initiative to explain it to him, knowing that there was an arrangement, and it was even considered as a care for him...
...Not to mention anything else, these people from Youzhou who have been surrendered today will become a climate in the gang in the future. Who will be embarrassed in front of him?
There is even a saying among the clerks in the past few days, saying that after the Battle of Xushui, it was not about marching, but about rewards based on merit... Manager Bai and Dou Longtou ate Hejian, Shan Longtou and Li Longtou ate the three northwest counties, and Youzhou
The table was divided into two sides. On one side, King Xiongtian and Deputy Commander Xu were eating there, while on the other side, Chief Zhang and Wang Wulang came to eat in person.
That's why Yuanbaocun jumps up and down.
But there's no way Wang Shuyong just feels bored, he just doesn't like this kind of thing.
In fact, he may not even realize it. Ever since Xu Shiying started working at Daxingtai, he has gradually lost the mentality of confrontation with the other party. When he was a teenager, he fought against his cultivation, when he was young, he fought against the underworld business, and after joining the army, he fought against his military achievements.
Now I have gradually lost that energy.
It’s not that the edges have been smoothed by life, or that I feel I can’t catch up and give up.
But he never thought about competing with the other party in that field. Moreover, there are too many heroes in the gang now. Even though he and Xu Dalang are still important figures, they are not enough to only focus on each other.
You know, whether it is a border county or not, or a small county, there are so many counties in Youzhou that there are nearly thirty counties in Hebei plus another fifteen large counties in the east and Huaibei. If Dengzhou is divided into its original
Three counties, that's almost fifty counties, not counting northern Shanxi and Huainan, which are nominally surrendered.
Before, I was nervous because Chief Zhang stood still and felt that he was dragging me down, but now I felt that it was a bit scary.
Thinking of this, Wang Wulang, who had become anxious, calmed down inexplicably, and even felt guilty... What is the difference between helping this situation and Dong Qi? And according to his status in the gang, wouldn't he be better than those in his hometown?
A famous general from Dong Qi passed down by word of mouth?
Can I be considered a famous general if I am just a lowly person who engages in personal affairs?
His heart was churning, but he didn't feel it on his face. In a moment, Wang Wulang was fully clothed, carrying a bow on his back and holding a knife, and stood on the south palace wall with Chief Zhang to see the sparkling Sanggan water.
He has the posture of a famous general.
After a while, the sparkling section of the Sanggan River was not just the section south of Linsang Palace. Looking from a distance, torches were connected on the other side of the river far downstream, and that section of the Sanggan River
It is even more like a sea of fire, and the military strength is even stronger.
Obviously, the people over there have successfully crossed the river and are reorganizing their troops.
"Chief, do you want me to take a trip?" Ushikawa said suddenly. "They don't have any masters. One blow can be enough to demoralize them, and it may have a miraculous effect."
"It's not impossible, but it's not necessary." Zhang Xing thought for a while and shook his head. "Those who are still following Luo Shu at this time always have a grudge in their hearts. We have tired them all night and made them try their best, but in the end they couldn't make it and dispersed.
Only with this tone can you calm down."
Ushikawa said nothing, and neither did the others, who just came to watch.
Immediately, watching the well-prepared cavalry heading south, he asked his sergeants to rest on the spot.
On the other side, the Youzhou army crossed the river. Most of them were cavalry. At this time, they maneuvered. Although they only had four or five thousand cavalry, they were as unstoppable as a fire dragon... In Conghuo City, which was more than twenty miles away, under the cavalry's tactical maneuvers,
Even if it's nighttime, it's only half an hour.
This seems to be what Luo Shu hopes for in this night attack.
After all, the army lacks horses, and night maneuvers will only be worse than that of the Youzhou Army cavalry. In this case, they are dispersed on the logistics line to garrison troops, and they can easily be surprised by the relatively large number of cavalry.
However, after walking for less than a quarter of an hour, Lin Liu, a local, suddenly realized that the route was wrong. He, who was already in the Chinese army, immediately rode up to catch up with Luo Shu, who was in front of him: "General manager, this is not the way to Conghuo City!"
"I know." Luo Shu replied with a look on his face. "Longhuo City is only twenty-five miles away from Youzhou City. We must have been prepared in advance, and support must be on the way... We will lose if we fight!"
"Then where are we going?" Lin Liu kept racing, trying to keep up.
"Go to Gu'an! Go to our hometown! Find our old brother Zhang Gongshen to settle the score!" Luo Shu gritted his teeth, and by the end of the sentence, he was already roaring.
Lin Liu was behind, still trying hard to keep up with his horse, but he was already in a daze... He partially agreed with this behavior. From a military point of view, since the advantage of cavalry was to be used, it was certainly no problem to attack Gu'an as far away as possible, but Zhang Gongshen was not there
Is it true that fratricide is inevitable there?
Moreover, Gu'an is the southernmost stronghold of the army in Youzhou. The distance of one hundred miles is already very limited. If it fails, can we still retreat?
More importantly, even if we return, what if it is already dawn, can we still escape with our family members calmly? Even more directly, the family members should start to gather at the top of the city at the fourth watch. If
If people like me never go back, how will they behave?
If the army knew that the last troops of the Youzhou Army were attacking hundreds of miles away, would they enter the city directly?
They were panicking, but the army was like a dragon, heading south all the way. After gathering in the middle on the official road, the speed was faster. Lin Liu, who was wrapped in it, had no space at all. But an hour later, they rushed fifty miles in one breath and began to
Take a rest on the spot.
At this time, Lin Liu also dismounted from his horse to rest, but he couldn't help but feel nervous.
When Luo Shu saw this scene, he suddenly laughed: "Lao Liu, are you worried about your family?"
Lin Liu was shocked and quickly lowered his head and admitted: "Yes, we have all left... If we go so close to Longhuo City, the army will definitely come to rescue us and not take care of the city. But if they find out that we have gone to Gu'an, how about taking the opportunity to attack the city?"
?”
"They won't enter the city." Luo Shu sat there and sneered. "Youzhou City is so big, entering the city at night will inevitably cause chaos. The key is that I knew from the moment Zhang Xing came to Linsang Palace that he didn't let me go at all.
In his eyes, he has long regarded Youzhou City as his treasure, so he won’t care about it for a while... He will only enter the city again during the day tomorrow!"
"But, once we enter the city..."
"Don't worry, I'll be ready when I come." Luo Shu sighed. "At the third watch, someone will gather our brothers' families... If we haven't gone back by the fourth watch, they will escape from the city.
, take shelter to the east temporarily, or even go directly to the sea to the Northland... Lao Liu, be prepared, if this attack fails and Zhang Xing cannot be forced to withdraw, we will abandon the army and go to the Northland."
"Are you going to the North to meet that Li Shu again?" Lin Liu smiled bitterly, while his heart was beating wildly.
"Although it's embarrassing, it can only be like this."
"But why not just leave? Can we bring some troops there?"
Luo Shu was silent for a moment and then spoke slowly: "If I don't punch the thief, I'm afraid I won't have the courage to confront the thief again in the future. Then won't the hatred of killing my son be hidden in my heart for the rest of my life?"
Lin Liu sighed in his heart, then thought of something, and reminded him sternly: "Brother, the daughter of the Wei family is your daughter-in-law after all... This time, whether you can go back or wait until we get on the ship, let her go!"
Luo Shu immediately expressed his feelings: "If there is a grandson, he is also my grandson! How can I let him go?"
Lin Liu sighed, as if feeling embarrassed, and stood up: "I'm going to see how many people are left behind."
Luo Shu knew that the atmosphere was awkward, so he let the other party go.
Lin Liu used the other party's pretext to leave the Chinese army, and without any hesitation, he immediately went to find his promised brother in the chaotic military situation.
The first person he met was surprisingly Xiao Tian.
"Brother Six." Xiaotian, who was sweating profusely, was obviously frightened. "Where are we going? Not only me, but also everyone in the army is confused."
"Go to Gu'an." Lin Liu whispered, and while the soldiers around him were shouting, he directly informed Luo Shu about the arrangements for his family, and then ordered. "Xiaotian, I am in the Chinese army and cannot wander around. I will give you two tasks.
, First, try to find all the brothers, and when they are on the road, let them leave one after another, then turn around and go back separately, and act according to the plan; second, after passing the message, you leave immediately, sneak away, and go back first with a dozen riders.
...When we return to the city, we must first follow the orders of the general manager to find the family members, including the daughter of the Wei family, and do not let them be taken away. When the brothers are reunited, leave quickly and leave together."
Xiaotian took a breath and immediately turned around to look for the person without having time to think about it.
Lin Liu watched the opponent's back disappear behind the war horse, and was stunned for a moment before turning around.
A quarter of an hour later, the troops began to prepare again... But this time, it was obviously much slower. The troops had not been fully prepared for a long time, and even the sergeants spontaneously asked where they were going.
It was at this time that an accident happened.
"Where is Xiaotian?" Luo Shu, who remounted his horse, looked livid. "Let Xiaotian come and lead two teams of people to patrol and enforce military law!"
Naturally, some sentry riders went to find Luo Shu's confidant, Lieutenant General Oda, one of the eleven remaining riders of the Eighteen Years of Yanyun.
However, they didn't find it.
"What does it mean that I didn't find it?" Luo Shu couldn't help but narrowed his eyes.
"Brother!" Lin Liu was standing by and suddenly reminded in a low voice. "Just forget it if you can't find it. Don't make it public."
Luo Shu sighed, grinned ferociously on his horse for a moment, looked south and north, and could only purse his lips.
It was not easy for the troops to make their trip.
After traveling for less than a quarter of an hour, a sentry rider suddenly came to report that two troops were stuck at the intersection behind them, causing the troops to be out of touch and unable to follow.
"Whose soldiers are they?" Luo Shu was already flustered at this time. He reined in his horse and stopped at the side of the road.
"It belongs to Vice General Sun and Zhao Sima." The sentry knight immediately answered.
Vice General Sun and Zhao Sima were naturally from the Eighteenth Cavalry.
Luo Shu's eyelids twitched and he asked seriously: "Where are Xiao Sun and Lao Zhao? Why aren't they restrained?"
"Those people were saying that General Xiao Sun suddenly turned around and returned from the fields on the roadside with more than a dozen cavalry. They also wanted to turn around and catch up, but they failed to follow and instead ran into the troops behind them." The sentry cavalry also said.
Got nervous.
Luo Shu was struck by lightning... This time, he couldn't deceive himself. Someone had indeed defected.
But the problem is, just like you pretended to be confused and didn't go to Xiaoda just now, how can you deal with it now? Aren't these your minions and confidants the same people? Who can I use to catch him? Who can I trust?
Go by yourself? Wouldn't it be equivalent to giving up the entire army by going by yourself?
"Lao Liu, do you think that if I insist on going south, I won't be the same as Xue Changxiong when I get to Gu'an?" After Luo Shu realized this, he turned to look at the highest-ranking Zhongjun beside him.
confidant.
"No." Lin Liu sighed. "Because no one will take the initiative to break Big Brother's bridge... Big Brother, at this point, I ask you not to pursue anything. They just didn't know Big Brother's arrangement and fled in panic.
That’s all.”
Luo Shu shut up and said nothing, the corners of his mouth twitching, as if he was angry, but also seemed to be mocking.
"Brother!" Upon seeing this, Lin Liu got off his horse and hugged Luo Shu's thigh. "If we can't succeed, we will consider the army defeated. Let's turn around!"
"Turn around and go back to the city?"
"If you don't go back, just go around the city." Lin Liudao. "We can't succeed here. Returning to the city is just a piece of meat in the mouth of the army. We just run away."
"Wouldn't that mean running away without a fight?" Luo Shu sneered. "No, I've already said it, regardless of victory or defeat, if you can't punch the thief, it will be worse than death!"
"That……"
"But you're right. If we don't turn back, we're afraid that all the people on the road will run away." Luo Shu himself turned very quickly as always. "Then let's turn around and go back, cross Youzhou Bridge, and go to Linsang Palace.
, it can be regarded as a cover for the family members to come out!"
Lin Liu had no choice but to answer.
Immediately, the troops stopped again, reorganized, appointed temporary generals, and only said to turn around and return to the city, but this made many people feel relieved, because everyone just thought they were returning to the city.
Just like that, at the second watch, the Youzhou army suddenly turned back and headed towards Youzhou Bridge holding torches.
This made everyone in Linsang Palace confused:
"What is this going to do? Come around in a circle?"
"Then who knows? If the quarrel breaks down, please return to the city quickly?"
"You can't just want to attack Linsang Palace, right? You just sent the tiger away from the mountain. Do you think we sent a lot of troops to support it?"
"That makes some sense."
Everyone was talking about it, but no one proposed any countermeasures... because the countermeasures had been arranged half an hour ago.
When Luo Shu came to Youzhou Bridge, the vanguard troops and horses had already retreated in panic, and they were patrolling. When he looked at it in person, he saw that the bridge was covered with torches, shining like daylight, while the stone bridge was more than a hundred paces wide on the other side.
At one end, there was a black-armored knight with a strange spotted dragon colt on his hip, lying across the bridge.
On the other side of the bridge to the open space below the city, two to three hundred cavalrymen were calmly arrayed in formation.
When the knight saw the person coming, he directly raised his gun and faced him: "Uncle, you are at the end of your rope, why don't you surrender early? I can also explain to my mother."
After realizing who it was, Luo Shu narrowed his eyes, filled with anger, and immediately roared: "Little beast! If you hadn't injured your cousin in the battle before, how could he have died?"
With that said, he drove straight to the bridge.
Seeing this, Qin Bao was helpless and opened the big iron gun in his hand, and the two fought on the bridge.
Frankly speaking, Luo Shu was a veteran at forming pills, and he was even considered a half-genius in cultivation. However, Qin Er's zhenqi was too restrained for ordinary pill condensation. After forming pills, the big gun flipped over, and Luo Shu's arms went numb every time the weapons crossed each other.
It was difficult for both sides to fight on the bridge, back and forth.
This is enough.
Fighting continued on the bridge in front, and many of the remaining members of the Eleven Cavalry behind were worried about their families and took the opportunity to evacuate. They generally braved the night and crossed the river from the lower reaches with abandoned armor and floating horses, heading towards the obviously already chaotic city.
Unknowingly, the last main force of the Youzhou Army behind the bridge was drained of its skeleton, but they didn't even know it.
At this time, in Longhuo City, after Xu Shiren and Jia Yue discussed, Xu Shiren sent troops to defend the city, but Jia Yue led his Beidi Straight Sword Battalion to rush out from the city.
The fighting suddenly broke out, and it was chaotic.
On both sides of the Sanggan River, the north bank was brightly lit from the city wall to Linsang Palace, while the south bank was filled with shouts of murder.
A quarter of an hour after the shouts of killing began, two groups of people, one from the northwest and one from the northeast, saw this scene from a distance, but had different reactions.
Coming from the northwest was a group of four to five hundred cavalrymen. Seeing this scene from a distance, one of the two leaders was surprised, but the other was overjoyed.
"Lao Gao! Your profit is coming!" Hou Junshu was overjoyed. "Luo Shu will be defeated. You go over this time and hand over the troops and horses. You and I will go straight to Linsang Palace to see the chief, and we will come before the city is broken."
If you surrender, and if you take advantage of the situation to fight and perform meritorious service, won't you be able to stand firm?"
"The war is unclear, don't we need to wait and see?" Vice Admiral Gao looked slightly uneasy.
"It's a waste of time to wait and see!" Hou Junshu hated the iron. "Are you going to be inferior to others even in surrender? Or do you think Luo Shu has a chance to make a comeback?"
Vice Admiral Gao finally showed his dignity.
On the other side, there were not many people from the northeast, but almost everyone looked suspicious. On the contrary, the two leaders in front were one who was frightened and the other laughing.
The one who was frightened was none other than Yuan Baocun who had gone to persuade him to surrender, while the one who was laughing was Lu Sidao, who was the most popular figure in Youzhou.
Lu Sidao, who was wearing a Taoist robe, finished laughing, reined in his horse and looked back at the people behind him: "Everyone, you are lucky. If something like this happens, you can go directly to defend Chief Zhang. Tomorrow, you can help Chief Zhang enter Youzhou City to organize the city. Just let nature take its course.
Isn't that wonderful? You should know that if you are one day late, you will really be punished. Even if you escape the punishment, you will not be able to avoid the embarrassment of being subjugated... Go quickly."
When Yuan Baocun heard this, he nodded quickly: "That's right, go quickly."
Everyone was in shock and doubt, but when Lu Sidao pushed them, they plucked up their courage and rode forward one after another. Some of the more capable people jumped up and rushed away.
Not to mention those who went first, the people behind hurried to Linsang Palace. Seeing that there was no fighting here, they were secretly happy that they had chosen the right one. Then they were summoned again and followed Lu Sidao and Yuan Baocun to the north wall of Linsang Palace.
And stand.
When I saw Chief Zhang, the latter was all dressed up and just came to wave: "Mr. Lu, come quickly, come quickly, let's watch the younger generation defeat the enemy."
Lu Sidao was so determined that he led a group of descendants forward and took a condescending look, but he was also shocked and speechless.
I saw that at the end of the month, there was no moonlight, only late spring and summer, the stars were bright, the fields below were lit by torches, the bridge was filled with light, and the most surprising thing was the water of the Sanggan River, which reflected both starlight and firelight.
It also reflects the true energy and glow. From the perspective of Linsang Palace, it seems that the entire world is reflected in it.
The end is dazzling.
This scene didn't last long. After waiting for a while, Xu Shiren's troops in Longhuo City were well rested. Without any hesitation, the entire battalion abandoned the city and went to fight... In this battle, the last unit of the Youzhou Army on the south bank of the Sangqian River was
The whole army collapsed immediately, and everyone ran for their lives.
Luo Shu was frightened, so he abandoned Qin Bao, tried to jump up, and tried to go into the city. Unexpectedly, just as he reached the top of the air, an arrow wrapped in Duanjiang's true energy was shot directly, knocking him down from the air and falling directly into the city.
In the river.
Seeing this, Zhang Xing turned around and looked at Niu He: "Mr. Niu, now that the matter has come to an end, there is no need to delay it any longer. Please take action to end it."
Ushikawa took his time and asked seriously: "Chief, I want you to live or die."
"Even those who are captured alive will be killed if their heads are hung in public." Zhang Xing simply replied.
Ushikawa nodded and flew away in the air. The immortal energy under his feet was strong and connected into strips, as if he was riding a dragon away.
The people around were stunned, and then they realized that the rumor was true.
When Zhang Xing arrived, he finally didn't bother to look any further. After letting the people in Youzhou City who were about to surrender go back to a place of comfort, he was about to take off his armor and rest.
And at this time, somewhere in the east of the city, beside a group of women and children, ten strong men gathered together. After waiting for a while, they saw that the movement by the river gradually became less and less, and they finally had no choice.
One of them also spoke: "It seems that Sixth Brother will not come. He had wanted to pay for that guy with his life before... We have to send our family members away first... Where to go?"
The others looked sad, but they could only grit their teeth and think.
Among them, Xiaotian, the youngest, gritted his teeth, lowered his head and gave a suggestion: "Brothers, how about we go to Gu'an?"
The nine people around him were silent for a moment, and then they all nodded in approval.
There is no way, the world is so vast, there seems to be only this one place to go... That is the old place where these people lived for more than ten years ago, and there is a sworn brother there who is probably their only living brother to rely on.
Time did not wait for us, and by the starlight, the ten people organized their families, crossed a pontoon bridge downstream, and left overnight for Gu'an, which Luo Shu wanted to go but could not reach before.
At this time, Zhang Xing had finished taking off his armor and was wiping his face. Listening to all kinds of praises for the great victory outside, he suddenly remembered something - that day when he met Luo Shu for the first time in northern Shanxi, he and Qin Er rescued him on the road.