I could even guess with my toes that Yang Biao must have sent someone to contact the scholar Sun Rui to communicate the news, but he still received no reply. Now it seems that the messenger was most likely intercepted and killed by the rangers under Li Jue's command.
I just don't know if Yang Xiu is so nervous because he is worried about the safety of the courier or because he is worried that the news conveyed by the courier will be leaked.
It was not easy for him to ask in front of Xu Huang.
The conflict and contest between him and Yang Biao is a tacit secret that cannot be disclosed to outsiders.
If Jia Xu wasn't so shrewd that he couldn't hide it at all, he wouldn't want to reveal anything.
"What are the casualties?"
Xu Huang replied: "There are five people in the group, one is dead, two are seriously injured, and two are slightly injured."
Liu Xie glanced at Xu Huang again. "Where is the other party?"
"Three died, two were injured, and three or four escaped."
Liu Xie was secretly shocked.
Xu Huang spoke lightly, but he could imagine the danger at that time and even more so, Xu Huang's role in it.
We were suddenly ambushed, the enemy was outnumbered, and we could not successfully fight back. Xu Huang was not only good at martial arts, but his psychological quality was also beyond ordinary people.
This may be related to his constant dealings with murderers and gangsters when he was a county official.
"Dezu, go and make arrangements. The dead are buried properly and their names and places of origin are recorded. The injured are treated with care and have a good rest."
Yang Xiu responded in a panic, turned around and went out.
"What other discoveries were made?" Liu Xie continued to ask for details.
Xu Huang was silent for a moment. "The eight or nine people on the other side were ambushing on the road they must pass, and they arranged the trip ropes. They were obviously well prepared, and it was definitely not an accident. I conjecture that they should have known that someone would pass by, and specially mobilized two teams of tourists.
Cavalry. As far as I know, the cavalry in Li Jue's army usually travel in groups of five. There are too many people and the target is too big, making it inconvenient to move."
"Who do you think leaked the news?" Liu Xie frowned slightly.
Xu Huang shook his head. "I don't know, but... we must be on guard against it."
Liu Xie thought for a while and asked Xu Huang to invite Jia Xu first, then report to Wang Yue and seize the time to rest.
From now on, it will be a wartime situation.
——
Yang Xiu left the tent and ducked into the small tent where Yang Biao lived.
"Father, the messenger sent last night was probably captured by the Xiliang army."
Yang Biao, who was having breakfast, frowned slightly and glared at Yang Xiu. "Why are you panicking? How do you act appropriately?"
Yang Xiu smiled bitterly. "Father, it is reasonable for you to contact the Weiwei. However, if this news falls into the hands of Li Jue, there is no guarantee that Li Jue will not see the hidden dangers of the imperial court. What if Li Jue sends his troops in a hurry to defeat His Majesty before he returns?
Yang Feng blocked His Majesty in Duan Xuan's camp, what can he do?"
Yang Biao was also a little uneasy.
He wanted the emperor to return to the imperial camp. If his return was cut off by Li Jue, the emperor would not be able to go back even if he wanted to.
"You go and do your business. If you have nothing to do, don't come to my place." Yang Biao said, "Remember, although you and I are father and son, one is a close minister of the emperor and the other is an important minister of the foreign court. It is not appropriate to be too close to each other and attract criticism."
Yang Xiu nodded vigorously, turned around and went out.
Yang Biao thought for a while, got up and went out of the tent, and came to the emperor's tent.
The Emperor was talking to Jia Xu together. The two of them were very calm and their tone was calm, and there was nothing unusual about them.
Yang Biao composed himself and bowed in greeting.
Liu Xie waved his hand. "Mr. Yang, have you used the court food?"
"Thank you Your Majesty, I just used it."
"Then take a seat. You came just in time. Li Jue's cavalry appeared outside the camp. I am discussing with the servants."
Yang Biao couldn't wait to take his seat and said hurriedly: "The knights have arrived and the army is not far away. Your Majesty should return to the imperial camp as soon as possible to make arrangements for the battle."
Liu Xie said nothing, but turned his gaze to Jia Xu.
Jia Xu said: "The Taiwei has had many confrontations with Li Jue. What do you think of Li Jue?"
Although Yang Biao was anxious, he still said patiently: "Li Jue is a vicious and cruel man, without the courtesy of a ruler and a minister, and his crime is unpardonable."
Jia Xu nodded. "The Taiwei is indeed a famous minister who has served as an official for a long time. He hit the nail on the head. How about Li Jue's use of troops?"
Yang Biao raised his hand to stroke his beard and said nothing.
He had a lot of dealings with Li Jue, but they were limited to court battles and had no battlefield experience. They also heard about some battles, but they only asked about the victory or defeat, not the details of the battles, and knew very little about Li Jue's military habits.
Besides, even if he understood, he wouldn't show off in front of Jia Xu.
Jia Xu turned to look at Liu Xie and said: "Your Majesty, although Li Jue is cruel and rude, he has experienced battles for a long time, is brave and resourceful, can win wisely, and does not fight lightly. Your Majesty may still remember the words on the Xuanping Gate.
thing."
Liu Xie thought carefully for a while, and his mood became extremely bad for no reason.
That is the guilt buried deep in the host's heart.
Xuanping Gate is one of the city gates of Chang'an. The Xuanping Gate mentioned by Jia Xu refers to Li Jue. When Guo Si counterattacked Chang'an, Situ Wang Yun took him hostage and went to the city to meet the enemy and refused to defend. Li Jue and others were at the city gate.
He bowed down and declared that he did not dare to rebel, but only wanted to avenge Dong Zhuo and kill Lu Bu alone.
Of course these are just lies. In fact, Lu Bu had already broken through the encirclement and Li Jue knew this very well. The reason why he said this was that he did not want to leave an excuse to offend his Majesty, and he did not want to sacrifice his troops in vain to attack the city gate.
Jia Xu mentioned this matter again because he wanted to show that Li Jue was by no means a reckless man. There was a reason why he became Dong Zhuo's general.
Yang Biao also understood this. "What you are saying is that Li Jue will not attack Yang Feng's camp and cut off His Majesty's return path?"
Jia Xu nodded. "But he will surround Yang Ding with heavy troops, try to force Yang Ding to surrender, and cut off the imperial court."
Liu Xie agreed, he also had such worries.
Yang Ding was originally from Xiliang. The reason why he turned against Li Jue was because Li Jue and Guo Si were fighting fiercely. He was worried that he would become the next target. Now Li Jue and Guo Si have reconciled, and they have always been with him.
Duan Xuan, who was at odds with each other, became a trusted figure of the emperor. It is normal for his psychology to change.
He had an appointment with Yang Ding, but there was no guarantee that Yang Ding would take it seriously. What's more, since he had not fulfilled his promise yet, Yang Ding had enough reasons to doubt his sincerity and then change sides.
Li Jue didn't know about his agreement with Yang Ding, so he listed Yang Ding as his first target, which was perfectly normal.
Then the question arises, knowing that Yang Ding is very likely to surrender to Li Jue, do you still want to fulfill his promise and send half a month of food?
If he doesn't send it, Yang Ding may surrender immediately.
If Yang Ding was sent, Yang Ding would still surrender and lose half a month's food in vain.
Considering the current situation, enough food for Yang Ding for half a month is not an innocuous small amount. To put it more seriously, this may be the straw that determines the outcome of the battlefield.
Jia Xu continued: "As far as Li Jue is concerned, the best strategy is to force Yang Ding to surrender. The next best thing is to retreat and defeat Yang Ding first to eliminate his worries."
Yang Biao asked: "Yang Ding only has five or six thousand cavalry, and he is far away from the imperial camp. Li Jue can just send a small force to besiege him, so why attack by force? The servant also said just now that Li Jue is brave and resourceful, and can outwit him."
, never attack by force."
Jia Xu nodded lightly and shook his head. "The Taiwei didn't know something. Li Jue certainly had a plan, but he was more suspicious. He sent a force to besiege Yang Ding and appointed close associates, but he was worried that the troops would be scattered and not enough to suppress Guo Si.
With Guo Si in charge, we are worried that Guo Si will conspire with Yang Ding to cut off our own retreat. After weighing the pros and cons, it is most appropriate to lead the main force in person and defeat Yang Ding first."
Yang Biao suddenly realized, and the look he looked at Jia Xu became extremely complicated. He was embarrassed, happy, and a little uneasy.