Outside the majestic city, beside the mottled ancient roads.
The wind blew by, fluttering the hem of the plain-colored skirt, like a blooming snow lotus, or like the white moonlight washing over it, revealing the pair of satin round-toe shoes under her feet.
A woman wearing a bamboo hat and covering her face with a white gauze stood next to the carriage, ten steps away from her. There were more than twenty guards with swords, their backs to her, holding their swords, always alert to the surroundings to prevent any accidents. .
"Gongqi."
Although the woman covered her face with a white gauze, her graceful temperament could not be concealed.
Especially her kingfisher-like voice makes people wonder, what kind of peerless face is behind this white gauze?
"Mother."
Zhang Lu quickly bowed his head respectfully.
That's right.
The woman is Zhang Lu's mother Lu Yue, the wife of Zhang Heng, the second heavenly master of Wu Dou Mi Taoism.
Lu Yue has devoted her whole life to studying methods of health preservation. Even when she is old, she can still have a girl-like appearance, as if she can stay young forever.
Lu Yue's eyes passed through the white gauze, passing Zhang Lu in front of her, and looked at the majestic Nanzheng. The smell of blood seemed to remain in the air, which was pungent and nauseating.
but......
Lu Yue is an extraordinary woman.
She always remained calm and did not show any discomfort, as if blood and killing could not corrode her, just like a snow lotus that emerges from the mud but remains unstained:
"Now that Hanzhong has been settled, there will inevitably be a lot of troublemakers. You need to calm them down quickly. I have already discussed with Liu Yan and let you station in Hanzhong to promote the Five Pecks of Rice Religion."
"Mother, then you..."
Zhang Lu was about to ask, but Lu Yue interrupted him directly as if he knew it in advance: "I have to go back to Shu County, otherwise Liu Yan will become suspicious. Just stay in Hanzhong. As long as I am here in Shu County, you Then everything will be safe and sound.”
"if......"
Speaking of this, Lu Yue's voice was slightly protracted, with a hint of melancholy: "If one day I really die, you can separate Hanzhong and govern yourself."
"Mom, don't talk nonsense."
Zhang Lu hurriedly interrupted his mother, frowning slightly: "Mom will definitely live a long life and live well. As long as Liu Yan is here, you will be fine."
"snort!"
With a slight snort, Lu Yue didn't seem to take it to heart. She was too lazy to dwell on it anymore. She just waved her hand: "Okay, you can go back, I have to leave."
Zhang Lu naturally knew that the road going south was rugged. If he didn't get on the road, he might not be able to catch up with the inns along the way: "Mother, take care of me. I will pray for you."
"good."
Lu Yue nodded, turned around and got into the carriage: "Let's go."
drive-!
The carriage started slowly and drove slowly in the direction of Jiameng Pass.
Not far away, a rushing voice suddenly sounded in the forest:
"Stop! Stop!"
"Old ladies, stop right here!"
"Help!"
"Help-!"
"...."
Hear the sound.
The carriage suddenly stopped.
More than twenty guards drew their swords one after another and were always on guard.
Suddenly, an embarrassed woman in coarse cloth emerged from the jungle ahead. She stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud.
The moment she turned back, three or four strong men jumped out of the jungle with knives in hand. They didn't answer at all. They picked up the long swords in their palms, pointed at the lady's heart, and stabbed straight into the heart without any fancy:
"Give me......"
The word death has not yet been exported.
From the slant stab, a divine arrow whizzed out. Just when the strong man's long sword was about to hit the woman, an arrow penetrated the back of her heart and fell to the ground with a pop. She died on the spot.
The other three people turned to look back, and saw seven or eight arrows coming towards them. The two strong men were caught off guard. They had no time to swing their swords, let alone dodge, and were shot directly to the ground.
clang-!
Although the last strong man knocked away the arrow with his sword and missed it, he had no time to retreat. Soldiers armed with broad-headed crossbows surrounded him and blocked his escape route one by one.
Phew! Phew! Phew!
An arrow to the heart, an arrow to the thigh, and another to the arm.
The strong man fell to the ground, and while he still had some consciousness, he hurriedly stuffed the pill into his mouth. Within a moment, the strong man rolled his eyes, fluttered twice, and died on the spot.
Tsk!
Tsk!
...
The woman's face turned pale and she gasped for breath in fear.
The surrounding soldiers and horses have surrounded her, and more than ten broad-headed crossbows are all aiming at her.
The woman's heart suddenly rose to her throat, her beautiful eyes were wide open, full of fear, and she subconsciously wanted to curl up and enter a state of self-protection.
At this moment, a woman in plain clothes got out of the carriage ahead.
The woman is Lu Yue.
Lu Yue looked up and down at the huddled woman and asked softly: "Who is your name, where do you live, why are you being hunted, and who is the person chasing you?"
The woman's voice was a little trembling, but she still had the courage to say: "My maid... my name... is A Li, from Chang'an, Guanzhong, because... because I owe
He was in debt, so he was hunted down here."
"snort!"
Lu Yue stared at Ali with her cold eyes and said coldly: "If you don't want to live, you can tell me directly instead of lying. I hate being lied to."
It's just a debt. As for chasing him from Chang'an to Hanzhong?
Moreover, the last person to die was a typical death of a soldier, which proves that the woman who offended must be a big shot, otherwise it would be impossible to attract the death of a soldier.
It's obvious!
The woman named Ali in front of me must be lying.
"Someone is coming..."
Lu Yue was about to give the order to kill him.
"elder sister!"
Ali quickly got up and kowtowed for mercy: "I say! I say everything! Please sister, please spare my life."
Lu Yue then turned around and said softly: "I can spare your life, but you have to tell me the truth."
Ali was frightened and nodded quickly: "Okay, I must tell the truth. In fact, I am a woman from a brothel. Wei Zhan, the Prime Minister of Chang'an, redeemed my life and asked me to bring half a volume of books..."
"..."
Ali is just a weak woman, how can she withstand such threats.
She seemed to be unable to bear it anymore, so she told the whole story: "That's what happened. Sister must save me. I don't want to die yet."
"What about the book?"
Lu Yue stretched out her hand and asked.
"here."
Ali quickly took it out and handed it over: "There is also a letter in it, written to Guo Jia, the school administrator, saying that if something happens, it can be used to protect my life for the rest of my life."
"School Affairs Office Guo Jia?"
Lu Yue has followed Liu Yan for a long time and naturally knows this name.
She immediately realized the seriousness of the matter, and at the same time she realized the importance of the half volume in her hand.
Although this is only the second half of the volume and he has no idea what it is, Lu Yue is very clear that what makes Chang'an and Nanyang pay attention to it is naturally extraordinary.
Lu Yue was not sure whether it was a blessing or a curse, but for some reason, she finally decided to accept this half of the book and the lonely woman in front of her.
"Will you come with me?"
"willing!"
"Okay, from now on, you will be my personal maid."
"Thank you, Master."
"Let's go."
"Here."
******
Hedong, Jie County.
Guan's old house.
Inner courtyard.
In the martial arts arena.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
There was a crisp sound of gold and iron exploding.
Guan Ping attacked one after another and knocked the young man of the same age opposite him to the ground with a knife: "Hey, you, it hurts me to death. You are much better than half a year ago. How did you practice?"
Guan Ping smiled and pulled up the man who was lying on the ground in front of him: "Brother Rui, what, do you want to learn? I'll teach you. With your intelligence, you will definitely learn it quickly."
"oh?"
Guan Rui quickly got up and patted the dust on his body: "Brother, are you really willing to teach me?"
Guan Ping said with great certainty: "Of course, we are blood brothers. Moreover, this is not a secret. It is just a technique for exerting force. My father taught me."
"Second uncle?"
Guan Rui's eyes suddenly brightened and he was incredulous.
"Um."
Guan Ping nodded: "Actually, it's very simple. The key is that you can't just rely on your arms to exert force. Instead, you must concentrate all your strength on your waist, then drive your upper body, and finally concentrate it on your arms for maximum strength."
"It's like this."
Immediately.
Guan Ping held the Huanshou knife and pointed it at the special sandbag in front of him. According to what he had just said, the knife suddenly fell with a bang, and the sandbag was cut in half with a loud bang, causing a puff of smoke to rise.
"So strong!"
Guan Rui's eyes were as wide as bells, full of shock: "I didn't expect that the effect of such exertion would be so obvious. My second uncle is really powerful."
Guan Pingdan smiled, shook his head, and said softly: "It's not that my father is great, but that's what is written in Nanyang's training manual. Nowadays, recruit training is all about this process."
"Although I have my father to teach me martial arts, most of the time I still practice according to the training manual. It's just that some of the content in the manual is relatively difficult to understand. I can only understand it after my father explains it and practices it."
Guan Rui was very excited: "Nanyang Hanting actually has a training manual for new recruits?"
Guan Ping nodded: "Of course! All newly recruited soldiers and horses must undergo rigorous training. Only after passing the assessment can they be assigned to various places."
"If you are transferred to the Yuanyang Army, in addition to daily training in the new barracks, you will also have to learn the Yuanyang Formation. If you are transferred to the Trap Camp, you may learn more, such as the Front Lost Formation, the Crane Wing Formation, the Square Formation, etc.
.”
"certainly!"
Guan Ping saw the other party's interest and hurriedly said: "Don't think it's funny. Training is the hardest. We have to cross-country for twenty miles every day with heavy loads."
"Ordinary troops can only march about thirty miles a day, but if it's us, the standards set by the imperial court must be able to march forty miles a day, and during forced marches, they must march at least sixty miles a day."
Guan Rui was so frightened that his eyes almost popped out: "Sixty miles? Isn't this exhausting to death?"
Guan Pingdan smiled: "Of course it is very tiring! However, if you train for a few months, you should be able to adapt. After all, carrying a load of 20 miles a day cross-country is not in vain."
"ah?"
Guan Rui's throat rolled and he jumped: "I was originally interested in joining the army, but after hearing what you said, it seems quite tiring, so I might as well forget it."
"Can!"
Guan Ping nodded without hesitation: "Your Majesty has said that the army is a gathering place for heroes. Only true heroes can withstand the test of blood and fire."
"Only true warriors are entitled to three meals a day. Meat is included in lunch. If you are an army like the trapped camp, there is meat in lunch and dinner. From time to time, there is also some midnight snacks."
"for example......"
Guan Ping seemed to recall the days in Xinye: "After the morning run, the Lord will lead us to hunt in the forest. The prey will be barbecued and sprinkled with salt. Not to mention how fragrant the taste will be."
"Brother Rui, look!"
Guan Ping immediately rolled up his sleeves: "Look at the meat bumps on my body. Are they much stronger than half a year ago? They were all fed with roe deer, wolves, and porcupine meat."
"or......"
Seeing that Guan Rui was almost salivating with greed, Guan Ping said with a smile: "Let's go hunting outside the city today. When we come back, I will let you have a taste of my craftsmanship."
"OK!"
Guan Rui's eyes brightened and he waved his hand: "Ajian, Aci, Awei, Abao, come here, how about we go hunting with brother Ping today?"
Everyone became excited:
"Okay, I have to go."
"After practicing all day, I'm almost exhausted."
“Just in time to relax.”
"I'm going to buy a drink!"
"..."
Looking at the young heroes of the Guan family on the martial arts field, Xu Shu couldn't help but smile.
At some point, the old patriarch Guan Ling appeared beside him, holding a strand of goatee under his chin, and said softly: "Sir, I have already communicated with the Wei family."
"oh?"
Xu Shu turned his head and glanced at the old patriarch, trying to ask: "What do they mean?"
Guan Ling said softly: "As Mr. expected, the Wei family ordered me, the Guan family, to gather the descendants of the clan first and rush to Jiang County three days later to wait for the orders of the county governor Zhang Kan."
"As expected."
Xu Shu couldn't help but nod and breathed a sigh of relief.
Things turned out exactly as I expected.
Think about it carefully.
No one is in a better position than they are right now.
Once a battle breaks out in the direction of Zhiguanxing, they will definitely be able to cooperate internally and externally to catch their opponent off guard.
After Xu Shu's observation, he found that the quality of the Guan family's tribe was far better than that of the new recruits. Although it cannot be said that one can defeat ten, it can definitely defeat one against two, or even one against three, which is also possible.
"gentlemen."
Guan Ling said very solemnly: "I will order Guan Chen to lead the team. He is good at martial arts and understands the art of war. It is perfect for him to lead the team. However, I have to trouble you, sir, to take care of me."
"Don't worry, old patriarch."
Xu Shu hurriedly bowed his head and said loudly: "This is my duty. There is no need to say thank you. It is the court that should thank you. If you had not risked the genocide to help, the court might not have been able to break through Zhi Guanxing."
"where-!"
Guan Ling twisted his beard and said with a smile: "Your Majesty thinks highly of our Guan family, and our Guan family should do our best. If you have any orders, just say it, and we will be ready."
Xu Shu nodded: "Okay, thank you very much, old patriarch."
Guan Ling breathed a sigh of relief: "In that case, I will take my leave first."
Xu Shu personally sent Guan Ling to the martial arts arena: "Farewell to the old patriarch." and watched him leave.
*****
Nanyang, Wancheng.
Emperor's palace.
Hall of Wende.
Jia Xu bowed his head and said softly: "According to the intelligence, Zhang Liao has slowed down his march and can only walk five miles a day. I'm afraid it will take several days before he can pass Zhiguanxing."
"but......"
Speaking of this, Jia Xu quickly added: "They will never act rashly before receiving precise orders from the court, but if they stay too long, it will inevitably arouse Zhang Kan's suspicion."
"So Your Majesty."
Jia Xu bowed and handed over his hand, reminding us: "We don't have much time left. If there is no reply from Hedong within three days, I'm afraid we will have no choice but to attack by force."
"Um."
How could Liu Bian not know this?
Zhang Liao was marching normally and suddenly stopped, something must have happened.
After all, the other party is also the governor of a county. How can this matter be hidden from them? And once it is investigated, the Guan family in Hedong will be exposed, and once exposed, the consequences will be unimaginable.
"Where's the trapped camp?"
Liu Bian had already anticipated this, so when he sent a letter to Heluo via flying pigeons, he also dispatched Gao Shun's trap camp to support Heluo.
If they can get into the camp and charge, no matter how dangerous Zhiguanxing is, they still have the possibility of victory. After all, they already have all aluminum alloy armor, which can be said to be invulnerable.
"Follow the latest news."
Jia Xu briefly searched his mind and said softly: "Tomorrow morning, we will definitely be able to reach Mengjin. After crossing Mengjin Ferry, we can enter Zhiguanxing. If our marching speed does not slow down, we should be able to catch up."
"But Your Majesty, it is difficult to travel from Zhiguanxing to the Qiqi area. I'm afraid it will hinder the strength of the trapped camp. Based on current calculations, it is likely to delay the journey by two days."
Two days!
It's enough for the other party to notice something abnormal.
And once this happens, the Guan family in Hedong will inevitably face a severe test, and will most likely be surrounded by the opponent. Even before Zhang Liao leaves Zhi Guanxing, he will be the first to die.
"I believe in being trapped in the camp!"
"Believe Shixun!"
At this point, Liu Bian had no choice but to choose to believe in Gao Shun's combat awareness.
If he really misses the opportunity to fight, it will only prove that he is blind.
"Report—!"
At this moment, a long announcement sounded outside the hall.
Liu Bian raised his eyes and looked.
But then, guard Zhu Tong pushed open the door and walked in. He bowed and held his hands in his hands: "Your Majesty, Guo Jia from the School Affairs Office wants to see you."
Liu Bian waved his hand: "Let him come in."
Zhu Tong cupped his hands: "Here!"
Immediately.
Bow and leave.
Not long after, Guo Jia walked up to the palace, bowed and raised his hands: "Your Majesty, Guo Jia, see you."
Liu Bian sighed, waved his hand to signal him to sit aside and said, "Fengxiao, why are you here now?"
Guo Jia hurriedly handed over the information: "Just now, the School Affairs Office received the information sent back from Hedong. The situation is urgent, so I did not dare to hesitate and sent it to the palace in a hurry."
"oh?"
Jia Xu frowned and asked tentatively: "But is there any news from Xu Shu?"
Guo Jia nodded and said, "Well, the Guan family has already assembled its troops. Currently, it is led by Guan Chen. There are about 2,400 troops. They will rush to Jiang County in three days to follow Zhang Kan's orders.
Dispatch."
"Three days later?" Liu Bian was surprised.
"That's right."
Guo Jia nodded affirmatively: "Furthermore, judging from the time the news was sent out, they may have already been on their way. There are probably at least 20,000 to 30,000 people at the Zhiguanxing exit."
"after all......"
At this point, even Guo Jia himself couldn't help but feel a little frightened: "The Baibo Yellow Turbans have also joined the war. They collected food and grass and have now left the Baibo Valley and are heading towards Jiangxian County."
"Damn it!"
Liu Bian cursed secretly.
He really couldn't believe that Yuan Wei's movements were really fast.
Not only did he surrender the governor of Hedong County, Zhang Kan, immediately, but through Wang Yun's reputation, he quickly surrendered the Wei family in Hedong, which not only allowed him to replenish his private army, but also provided him with hundreds of thousands of stones of food and grass.
In a sense, today's Hedong County is a bit like Nanyang back then. The only difference is that now it is Liu Bian and Yuan Wei competing, not Dong Zhuo.
Apparently!
Yuan Wei's ability is much stronger than Dong Zhuo's.
At least in terms of reaction speed and wooing of aristocratic families, the degree of abuse of imperial power was far better than Dong Zhuo's, and also better than his own.
pity......
Liu Bian does not allow himself to abuse imperial power, otherwise he can have an upright political contest with Yuan Wei to see who has the bottom line.
"Is it possible to estimate how many troops the thieves will have?"
Liu Bian frowned, knowing that the situation had seriously exceeded his imagination.
"About..."
Jia Xu pondered for a while and gave his answer: "There are more than 40,000 people, more than three times our number, and they occupy advantageous conditions such as the geographical location. Unless the Guan family is not exposed and the trapped camp can arrive in time, Zhang Liao's troops will surely
Defeat is certain."
Just when Liu Bian was feeling melancholy, the voice of the military advisor alliance sounded: "Don't worry, Mr. Bian, the Guan family will not be exposed that easily, and Zhang Liao will definitely not be that stupid."
"Although our probability of losing is relatively high, our probability of winning is still not low. According to expert analysis, our probability of winning is currently 58.2%."
"Well......"
Liu Bian was extremely embarrassed: "Can't you even pass the passing mark?"
The Alliance of Military Advisors said very calmly: "According to experts' understanding of the trapped camp, Gao Shun will definitely arrive in time, and he will be Zhang Liao's vanguard by then."
"Perhaps Jia Xu made such a pessimistic inference because he didn't know Gao Shun well yet. Moreover, he didn't know Xu Shu well either, so he narrowed down the possibilities."
"So Mr. Ben..."
The voice of the Military Advisor Alliance was very calm: "It is one-sided to simply analyze things and ignore the person in charge, or to simply analyze people's hearts and ignore the factors of the matter."
"If you take into account Gao Shun and Xu Shu's temperament and ability to do things, it is actually not as difficult as Jia Xu imagined. Of course, this is just an inference today. If there is good news tomorrow, it may change."
"stable!"
The Military Advisor Alliance reminded: "We must be steady."
Liu Bian thought about it and nodded: "Don't worry, I can do it."
Immediately.
He tried his best to stay calm and looked up at Guo Jia. Jia Xu said: "We still have to believe in the abilities of Xu Shu, Gao Shun and Zhang Liao. They will definitely not be worse than we imagined."
"Wenhe..."
Liu Bian took advantage of the situation and made a point: "Although your analysis of the intelligence is very accurate, you have ignored the important factor of human nature. Xu Shu and Gao Shun's abilities are very outstanding and cannot be judged by common sense."
"So I believe that this battle in Hedong will definitely end with a complete victory for the imperial court. Once Zhang Kan is defeated, the entire Hedong will definitely be informed, so there is no need to waste weapons and weapons."