In the wilderness of the northern border of Yunzhou, a group of stragglers were traveling north.
The snowy fields are vast and the cold wind is biting. When marching in this kind of weather, it is best to have a large group of people who can carry heating and cold-proof supplies with the army, otherwise it will be very difficult.
Fortunately, they are all locals and are familiar with the roads and know where to stop and get supplies, but it is still difficult.
"Yin Dutou, there is a village ahead, go in and have a rest." The general caught up and said.
"Where are you?" Yin Wanrong was a little dizzy and didn't know where he was.
"We are almost at Jeju Pass," the general said.
Yin Wanrong breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Go quickly, don't stop, go directly to Jeju Pass. There is wine and meat there."
Everyone had no choice but to drag their heavy steps and continue on their way.
He had been chased for three days. In the rush, he didn't even have time to lead the horse, so he took advantage of the darkness of night to hide in the snow and wind, and fled for his life in a hurry.
On the way, we met several soldiers who had broken out from Yunzhou. Everyone said that Yunzhou had been conquered by Xia thieves, and Jiedushi Zhu Wei did not know whether he was alive or dead.
To be honest, Yin Wanrong was surprised when he first heard the news. Didn't the Xia thieves withdraw? Why did they come back again? Even the Shao thieves went to Guangchengze to have fun. What the hell is going on?
But the defeated soldiers were steadfast in their oath, and seeing how they were shivering with cold, there was no need to lie. What's more, the Xia thieves were also seen in Yushan, their hometown, so it looked very likely.
Yin Wanrong made a decisive decision, stopped celebrating the New Year, and headed north to Lu County with his troops.
Luxian was originally the administrative center of Jeju. It was destroyed by floods in the 13th year of Kaiyuan. Later, Jeju was abolished and most of it was merged into Yunzhou. After the water receded, Luxian was rebuilt, but Jeju has never been able to come back until today.
Yin Wanrong was the general of Jeju Pass and controlled three thousand soldiers and horses in Lu County and Jeju Pass. Historically, he was captured in a battle with Liang Jun. He had better luck in this time and space and has survived to this day.
"Go, don't stop." Yin Wanrong quickened his pace to boost everyone's morale: "We don't know whether Zhu Shuai is alive or dead, and the future of Yuncheng is uncertain. It seems critical, but in fact there is still a chance. We have troops to protect the territory, no matter which side we are, we will win.
To win over. The most important thing now is to go back and gather the soldiers and horses, and leave quickly."
When everyone heard this, it seemed to make some sense, and they all plucked up the courage to go on their way.
"Pu soldiers are coming!" A heart-rending cry came from behind.
"What?" Yin Wanrong felt his heart skip a beat.
When he turned around, he saw a large group of gray figures chasing after him from behind.
"There are Pu people ahead too!" Someone pointed to the northwest and said tremblingly.
"What a thief!" Yin Wanrong was furious and yelled.
He knows the strategies of the Xia thieves.
After conquering Yunzhou in a surprise attack, when the various places did not react and the troops could not assemble effectively, they divided their troops in all directions to kill the leaderless soldiers and horses of Yuncheng.
Think about it, even if there are more than 10,000 soldiers and horses who are scattered and not subordinate to each other, how difficult will it be to deal with them?
But if these 20,000 or 20,000 soldiers and horses are gathered together and unified under the command of one person, then there will be too many things that can be done and it will be much more difficult to deal with.
They can fight in groups, defend the city with the conscripted local peasants, attack the grain road around the rear of the enemy, and even save their strength and retreat to other places, and then fight back at any time. Yin Wanrong will continue to disgust you. If Lu County cannot defend it,
The idea was to go north from the Yangliudu area and retreat into the territory of Weibo.
The pursuers were getting closer and closer, and they were outflanking them one after another, as if they had no intention of letting the seventy or eighty of them leave.
"Ah!" A fight started later, and someone screamed and fell to the ground.
In the cold weather, Yin Wanrong broke out in white sweat.
"Go! Don't stop!" Yin Wanrong called to his followers and fled eastward.
There were probably more than a thousand Pu soldiers, several hundred at each front and rear. With their large numbers, they quickly surrounded the Yun soldiers, and even detached some of their men to pursue Yin Wanrong.
The Yun people had no intention of fighting at first and just wanted to escape. Only when they were completely surrounded did they start struggling like a wild beast cornered.
Under the intersection of swords and spears, the victory was determined. Dozens of Yun soldiers were killed by Pu soldiers, and their bodies were left lying on the spot.
After Yin Wanrong escaped dozens of steps, he was shot in the back by an arrow and fell to the ground.
Dozens of soldiers rushed forward and after a long fight, Yin Wanrong and his followers were all killed.
A general of the National Guard Army came up, beheaded Yin Wanrong, and then ordered his men to clean up the battlefield.
"It's worth a lot of money." He wrapped the head in cloth, held it in his hand, and said with a smile.
Pu Bing also showed a smile. After all, the troops sent out in the cold weather were not in vain, otherwise they would have turned against him.
Seeing the changes in their expressions, the general also guessed a bit.
Hezhong has been severely harmed by the Xia people in recent years. The burden is extremely heavy and the people in the town are filled with resentment.
This time when troops were sent to Yuncheng in the first month of the year, the whole army was in an uproar, and a mutiny almost broke out. Ma Budu Yuhou Fengzang killed dozens of people and barely suppressed the attack, but it made the soldiers more and more resentful.
The Xia people used the money and food from the river to fight the war and let the soldiers from the river go to battle. What benefits would it have to the town of Hezhong? I can't see it at all. On the contrary, there are many disadvantages. Wang Yao and the sealed city are all Shao thieves and lackeys, and they can be killed!
"Let's go back to the mission." The military academy sighed and ordered the team to gather together.
Things like Yin Wanrong's interception and killing were not an isolated case. In fact, the land of Yunzhou at this time was full of organized Xia troops chasing and killing the unorganized stragglers in Yunzhen.
On the third day of the first lunar month, Zhu Zhen commanded the Holy Army to capture Yuncheng and beheaded two hundred people.
Also on this day, the National Guard Army captured Yanggu and advanced towards Dong'a and Lu County.
On the fourth day of the first lunar month, Ge Congzhou led Long Xiang and other troops into Juye, killed 400 enemies in the countryside, and then surrounded the county.
Liu Zhijun of the Dragon and Tiger Army returned to Shanzhou and directed his troops towards parts of Yanzhen.
However, the Zhongwu Army and the Jianrui Army were still rushing towards Pingyin.
The various ministries made rapid progress, taking advantage of the favorable opportunity when Yuncheng was leaderless, and continuously attacked the city and captured the territory, trying to achieve a greater victory with the smallest casualties possible.
****
The fifth day of the first lunar month, Yidu County, Qingzhou.
The cold wind rushed into the gatehouse and made the windows rattle.
Zhu Xuan sat in front of the desk and drank tea silently.
Zhu Yu, Zhu Han and other close relatives gathered around him and waited quietly.
"Let's go, Qingzhou is not a place for us to use our skills." Zhu Xuan finished drinking the tea, took off the bow tip from the wall, and weighed it in his hand.
His expression was slightly excited, and so were his followers.
News of the Shao bandit's raid on Yunzhou has spread.
This was urgent military information, and it was transmitted quickly. The upper echelons of Qing and Yaner Towns basically knew about it, and it was spreading to the middle and lower levels at an extremely fast speed.
A war seems inevitable!
Zhu Xuan was keenly aware of the opportunity and summoned his close associates for discussion. Everyone agreed with him and agreed that it was time to return to Yunzhou to look for opportunities. Of course, the final decision had to be made by Zhu Xuan himself.
"Living under someone else's side is not a long-term solution." Zhu Xuan sighed: "What kind of life did we live in the past and what kind of life are we living now? Wang Shifan may seem elegant, but he is not without scheming. He will not show mercy when he kills people. Ping Lu Hong,
Killing Zhang Chan and expelling Cui Anqian, can ordinary people do these tricks and scheming? Leave early, let's go to Yunzhou to find a way, I believe Wang Shifan will also be happy to see me succeed."
As worthy of being a martial artist in the late Tang Dynasty, Zhu Xuan's fighting spirit was indeed top-notch. No matter what situation he was in, he never gave up and kept fighting for the slim chance.
Perhaps only death can stop him.
"Since brother said so, we have no objection. Damn it, it's just a word for death, so who is afraid?" Zhu Yu said.
"Exactly! How can a man not take risks to gain wealth?" Zhu Han also said: "We still have hundreds of people. Let's borrow some horses from Wang Shifan and go back to Yunzhou to do big things."
"This matter should not be delayed too soon."
"Recruit the dead and fight with Shao Thief!"
"A real man is either Jiuding or something like that, or...well, I don't have much education, so I can't say much. Anyway, it's just work. If you win a drunken woman, you have everything you want. If you lose, it doesn't matter. It's just death."
"Leave today."
Everyone was talking a lot and the atmosphere was lively, as if regaining the position of commander in chief of Yuncheng was about to happen.
Zhu Xuan laughed loudly, ordered his wife Rong to prepare wine and food, and set off on the road after dinner.
"General, Liu Wei is here." After the food and wine were served, everyone was eating and drinking when suddenly a servant came over to report.
Everyone was shocked and stopped eating and drinking.
"I'll go take a look." Zhu Xuan stood up, straightened his robes, and went out.
"Zhu Gongguo has great ambitions." Liu Wei stood outside the door and said with a smile.
Zhu Xuan didn't hide it at all, saying: "How can a real man live like a fly and a dog? If he dies, he will die. It's no big deal."
His wife, children, subordinates and many other things are not in Zhu Xuan's consideration. The only thing he cares about is his own power. He is really unwilling to give up.
"What a good martial artist!" Liu Wei didn't know whether he was exaggerating or sarcastic.
Zhu Xuan didn't care and asked: "How can the prince teach me?"
"The prince is willing to give a thousand horses and some money and grain to strengthen the prince's journey." Liu Wei said: "In addition, the warriors Zhu Gong brought to Qingzhou in the past will all be returned and they can be taken back to Yunzhou."
"Why doesn't the prince send troops?" Zhu Xuan asked: "The thieves have conquered Changqing and will come to Qingzhou at any time. It is time to join forces to fight against the Shao thieves, just like the three towns of Yun, Yan, and Xu were helping each other."
"The commander-in-chief is preparing money and food and summoning military men. It will take some time." Liu Wei said: "Duke Zhu can go to Qizhou first and find a place to stay. Wangshuai has sent envoys who may be able to help him."
Zhu Xuan shook his head and said: "I still have to go back to Yunzhou without further delay. In a few days, the warriors in Yunzhou will be scattered."
After hearing this, Liu Wei praised: "If the military men in Yunzhou are like Zhu Gong, how can they let Shao thieves come in? Don't worry, Shao thieves have broken the rules by occupying Yunzhou. We Qing, Yan, and Yun,
The five towns of Xu and Huai will work together to make the Shao thieves suffer a great loss."
Zhu Xuan laughed, his expression very cheerful, and he seemed to have regained the heroic spirit of resisting the Wei people and defeating Qin Zongquan.
As a martial artist, it doesn't matter whether you succeed or fail. The most important thing is whether you dare to fight against heaven and earth. People who dare not fight when the enemy is strong are like pigs and dogs with ears!