Time flies like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, it’s April of the second year of Xingping.
Xuzhou, Pengchengguo, Qixian.
The war is about to break out.
As the strong daylight circulates, you can see spears standing like a forest, and a full array of swords raised, flashing with a faint cold light, vaguely cold.
On top of the city at this time.
Jun Yang of Qixian County and a group of officials were watching this scene clearly on the top of the city. The more they looked at it, the more they frowned.
As the saying goes, if there are ten thousand soldiers, there will be no borders.
In fact, in reality, thousands of troops were deployed in formation, and the scene was spectacular enough.
Especially the grand military appearance, which is well-organized and connected end to end, allows the viewer to catch a glimpse of its orders and prohibitions, which is unavoidable and frightening.
If it were just that, that would be fine.
What made Yang? even more chilly in his heart was that, in addition to the number of people and military appearance on the opposite side, he also discovered a detail...
It was the transition season between spring and summer, and it was noon. He had been observing the enemy's situation at the top of the city for more than half an hour, right?
Doesn't this mean that the yellow turban soldiers and generals under the city have been arrayed in square formations for so long, but they still don't hear complaints and don't see any chaos?
This quiet, silent army... made Sheep's face twitch.
This is a real strong army!
But why would such a powerful army appear under the command of a yellow turban bandit?
Sheep? It’s hard to believe, but you have to accept this fact.
It even made him vaguely believe the words that had just been said at the gate to persuade people to surrender.
If such a powerful army is really capable of defeating a city in three days with just two thousand people, I'm afraid it's not a lie.
But if so...
Liuxian and Guangqi didn't last a few days. Now if it was my family and Qixian who faced the arrival of such an army, how long could they last?
Staring at the tallest flag in the formation, with a big "Xu" character on it fluttering in the wind, Yang? felt despair in his heart.
Before the battle started, he had no idea of "holding" at all. He only thought about whether he could hold on until reinforcements arrived.
hurry up...
Turning his head to look north, Sheep, who had never believed in ghosts and gods before, suddenly began to pray.
...
County Lord Yang? While sizing up the heavenly army below the city.
On the other side, a young man, guarded by the generals, stared at the county seat in front of him, his eyes burning.
It was Xu Fang who was left behind by Wang Zheng to guard the rear in Pengcheng City.
When Zhengyang reached the highest point in the sky, Xu Fang looked up and shook his head secretly.
It's almost time.
If the expected scene has not happened yet, then there is no need to wait!
Disappointed, Xu Fang snorted coldly: "I heard that the king of this city is from the Taiyang family. I thought I was from a famous family. I should know that those who obey the heaven will prosper, and those who defy the heaven will perish..."
"Hey, who would have thought that he would be so ignorant!"
"Major, the thief is stubborn, and he is just what our brothers want." The young man on the side grinned and said, "You should give your head in exchange for merit!"
"That's it." Xu Fang looked sideways and smiled: "Ruan Ji, are you willing to be a pioneer?"
The deputy general in front of me was the runner-up who lost to Gu Jian in the boxing and kicking event when the Tianjun first performed martial arts that day.
"It's what you wish for!"
Ruan Ji agreed with a bang, his face showing excitement.
...
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The drums were beating, each drum was faster and louder than the other.
The heavenly army heard the sound and moved, and saw countless phalanxes slowly advancing at the same time. Amid the sound of neat footsteps, a murderous atmosphere instantly filled the entire battlefield.
The black torrent continued to approach the city, and it stopped only when the soldiers on the city were clearly visible.
This is within the shooting range of the defenders.
The drums suddenly stopped, and the whole place fell into silence. Xu Fang, wearing armor all over his body, rode his horse forward, his face as calm as water, walked around the battle formation, met the eyes of all the soldiers, smiled slightly, and shouted loudly:
"Three days ago, our army attacked Liu County. The defenders were nearly a thousand and they were defeated in one day!"
"One day ago, our army attacked Guangqi. The walls were high and the city was strong. It was determined by three drums!"
"Today..." Xu Fang raised his whip and pointed at Qi County: "Our army has captured seven of the eight counties in Pengcheng, leaving only this lonely city!"
"The mere Qi County is not as tall as the city of Guangqi, nor does it have as many soldiers as the remaining county. It is trapped in an isolated city but still trying to resist. This move..." Xu Fang sneered repeatedly: "It's too stupid!"
Looking at the whole army, Xu Fang raised his arms and shouted: "Brothers, if you can't get this city in your hands, won't it harm the long-lasting victory of our heavenly army and its unparalleled front?"
After hearing this, Xu Fang's pro-army soldiers first raised their swords and responded: "We will defeat it in one battle!"
The next moment, all the soldiers were excited, and thousands of people shouted: "We will defeat it in one battle!"
At the same time, Ruan Ji led a hundred soldiers who were preparing to attack the city and rushed out from the flank, throwing up mud and dust all over the sky, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"It must be defeated in one battle!"
With a rattling sound, the catapult took the lead and slowly moved forward to the front of the formation.
"Smash!" Xu Fang waved his hand: "Smash a passage for me!"
"Here!"
After giving the order, hundreds of soldiers exerted their strength together, roaring sounds came and went, and countless stones were seen drawing arc after arc in the space, and smashing ferociously towards Qi County.
When facing the first two cities, Xu Fang did not bring any equipment with him in order to save troops and speed. He just ran thousands of miles. However, from the beginning, he asked Zhang Zhao to arrange for civilians and siege equipment to be transported directly to Qixian County.
.
In his original plan, Xu Fang was simply prepared, because in his original plan, when he arrived at Qixian County, he should have won the battle without a fight, and the situation would have been determined by spreading the word.
At this time, it came in handy.
The powerful weapons of Pengcheng and other powerful gates were too powerful when faced with ordinary county towns. However, within a short time, Qixian County began to let out overwhelmed whines, and cracks visible to the naked eye began to appear on the four walls.
After getting a cup of tea, there was a loud "boom" sound, like spring thunder waking up the insects, and a huge gap appeared in the east wall. In the face of the miserable defeat of Yang Yu and the county officials.
At the same time, everyone in the Tian Qian Tian Army cheered and roared excitedly. Their sound was deafening and they soared into the sky.
"kill!"
As Xu Fang shouted again, the war drums beat again, and the strange and regular drum sounds, one after another, struck directly into the hearts of both the enemy and our troops.
It's just that one party becomes more and more excited as he listens to it, while the other party becomes more and more desperate as he listens to it.
The soldiers in the formation raised flags and played drums.
With a sound of drum, the vanguard stepped forward.
Two drums, reins and reins;
After three drums, Ruan Ji shouted and led his men to charge to the front, and the Heavenly Army quickly advanced toward the city wall like a tide of Heavenly Army.
Within a moment, the sound of killing suddenly started.
"Quick, stop them from entering the city!"
"County Lord, I can't stop you! There are too many thieves!"
"County Lieutenant, the bandits are coming!"
"Don't retreat, rush forward and stop them!"
"Kill!"
On the battlefield filled with murderous intent, the two armies fought each other. After rushing through the rain of arrows fired by the defenders, they arrived in front of the city gate and under the city wall. The vanguards of the two armies collided with each other with a loud crash.
Spears and halberds against spears and halberds, swords against sabers. Men and horses fought against each other, bloody spears penetrated the body, and bright white sabers struck the wind. Each spear stabbed with blood, and each knife struck the flesh. The popping sound was accompanied by the grief of the injured.
The screams were unbearable to hear and unbearable to see.
To be fair, if we only look at the bravery in fighting, Xu Fang looked on with cold eyes, but he had to admit that the performance of the Qixian soldiers was not bad, and their determination to defend their homeland was not inferior to the enthusiasm of the Heavenly Army to make achievements.
It's just that momentum can sometimes determine victory or defeat, and that's just because it offsets other differences between the two armies to a certain extent.
But the gap between today's Heavenly Army and Qixian Army is too big.
Regardless of the number of people, fighting spirit, or the combat effectiveness of the army itself!
Xu Fang, who was in the Chinese Army Lin formation, was riding on his horse and had a panoramic view of the changes in the situation on the field. He couldn't help but sneered, knowing that the overall situation was decided.
Soon after, Ruan Ji's adjutant returned to the battle with a bloody face and reported: "Major, all the defenders at the city gate have been killed!"
"Now that the defenders have retreated to the military camp in the city and are defending the county government stronghold, are they still going to surrender as before?"
Since the Tian army entered Langya, they have basically been accepting surrenders. When Xu Fang led his army to attack the city this time, the first two counties also followed the usual practice.
It's just that Qixian County is a little special.
Because it is located at the junction of three states, and it is too close to Taishan County in Yanzhou!
Calling people to surrender at the top of the city was actually the only chance given by Xu Fang, and it was also the last chance.
Xu Fang asked himself that what the Heavenly Army had done in Pengcheng recently was quite popular. Under such circumstances, the county prince of an isolated city still wanted to resist, and then contacted the other party that he was a descendant of the Taiyang clan. This made Xu Fang secretly sigh.
.
He is not Wu Sheng, and he is not bloodthirsty, but his reason has reminded him that such a sensitive city must not leave any hidden dangers...
Even, do something to shock the surrounding people!
"We have already surrendered." Having made up his mind, Xu Fang's expression suddenly turned cold: "Since they have rejected my goodwill, there will be no second chance!"
"Communicate to the entire army that no surrender will be accepted in this battle!"
"Here!"
...
In less than half a day, the heavenly army was already overwhelming, marching straight in, and all of them poured into the city.
But at this time, the Qixian army was still resisting.
"Is this the only place left?" Xu Fang looked from the captured military camp to the county government on the other side. Xu Fang raised his head and glanced at the sky. It was already dusk and the sun was setting. He couldn't help but smile solemnly: "It's getting late."
He waved his hand and led the soldiers towards the county government office.
On the other side, the magistrate of Qi County at this time, Yang?, had a ferocious face and red eyes. There was no trace of the so-called celebrity demeanor or noble bearing in him.
At this time, there were about a hundred people gathered in the county government office, and most of them were elites he brought from Mount Tai.
These people do not live in Han Dynasty and are not local people. They can persist until now because of their personal loyalty to Yang?
Before the city was broken, he was anxious, but now that the enemy had broken through the city and came in, Yang? actually calmed down.
If you can't hold it, you can't hold it, right?
The worst case scenario is to go back to Mount Tai!
The moment the military camp was breached, Yang? was shocked. He knew that there were not many thieves besieging the county government at this time, but if they stayed and waited for others to gather around and completely surround them, it would be a real desperate situation.
Thinking of this, Yang?'s face was ferocious, and he took out the long knife in his hand. He finally roared and led his men to break out of the encirclement. Under the protection of dozens of cavalry, he finally broke out of the encirclement, chose a city gate with few people, and roared away.
But he didn't know that Xu Fang's greatest characteristic was his meticulous mind. Since he was refusing to accept surrender, there was absolutely no way he would allow anything to slip through the net.
If the defense line seems weak, it is a plan to surround three and one is missing.
Just when Ruan Ji was about to lead his men to chase him, he saw several screams coming from the direction where the other party was fleeing.
After a while, dozens of soldiers from the Tianzhu camp who Xu Fang had specially left behind at the city gate came out on foot. Many of them were leading several war horses with smiles on their faces. One of the horses was hunched precariously.
An unknown body.
Judging from his clothes, he is the county king Yang who wants to abandon the city and flee?
"Every side has been cleared."
"Has taken control of the warehouse, granary and equipment warehouse."
"Major, the county government has occupied the city and is searching for the remnants in the city."
Xu Fang looked calm, nodded and said: "Brothers, kill the enemy first, show off the power of our army, and do great good."
"However, General Tiangong has already issued a military order. Whenever a city is captured, the people will become our elders. Even if we do not accept surrender this time, we must not disturb the people."
"Here!"
Entering the county government office and counting the results of the battle, Xu Fang looked satisfied.
Even with the astonishing victory of taking half a day to the city, the damage done by the Heavenly Army this time was not too great.
With Qi County under control, Pengcheng Kingdom has completely entered the control of the heavenly army and belongs to the royal government.
After thinking for a while and thinking of the location of this place, Xu Fang gave up his plan to return to Pengcheng even though Wang Zheng did not give instructions. Instead, he called for a sentry and ordered him to serve as a messenger and go to Kaiyang to report his victory.
"Send the news that the three counties of Pengcheng have been settled to General Tiangong immediately!"
"And ask for instructions on what to do next!"
"promise!"
...
In April, the wheat fields compete for sunshine with great momentum.
As far as the eye can see, there are all large patches of green, shining like three-dimensional emeralds with a cold light. They stick to the sunlight, allowing the heat to penetrate from the pointed awns to the roots directly through the hollow stalks.
In order to survive, the grass is like this, how can people be embarrassed?
Riding his horse through villages, Wang Zheng couldn't help but sigh secretly as he watched this scene.
After returning from Langya, Wang Zheng and his army ushered in a rare period of peace.
With the combination of Mi Heng and Yu Jin, the efficiency is very fast. Looking along the way, we can occasionally see the familiar faces of some former Tianfu soldiers. They have now become civil officials and shuttle among the farmers.
After checking for several hours, the group of people came to a riverside from noisy to quiet.
At this time, several women were washing their clothes in the river with their bare legs. They were busy or chatting and laughing among their companions. They seemed not to notice that there was a group of strangers nearby.
Since the other party did not notice, Wang Zheng and others did not want to disturb the people, so the group of riders passed by and stopped to rest on the other side of the river.
Looking up, you saw that all the people in your hometown were calm and contented. You Heng also felt a great sense of accomplishment: "This situation and this scene are really in harmony with nature and man. It is quite harmonious."
"After the war, in less than three months, people appeared to be living in peace." Wang Zheng looked at Mi Heng with admiration in his eyes: "This is Mr.'s contribution."
"The Emperor Gao tried to say that there was a fan who could not be used because of the increase in the number, so I captured him." Mi Heng said with a smile: "It can be seen that if I want to establish a career, I must choose a master of the Ming Dynasty. Today's situation in Kaiyang is all due to the lord.
also."
After hearing this, Wang Zheng looked at Mi Heng with a strange look.
You are really a weirdo. All the celebrities of your time compare themselves to Zhang Liang, but you think of yourself as Fan Zeng?
"But my lord." But Mi Heng suddenly changed the subject and said, "We must be aware of danger even when we are in peace."
"Think carefully and you will be prepared; if you are prepared, you will be safe from danger."
Living in peace?
Where did An come from?
Wang Zheng glanced at Mi Heng helplessly, but it was difficult to explain.
Now it seems that the situation of your family has improved, and you are no longer surrounded by enemies on all sides like before, but how could you know?
His neighbor has changed from the good old Tao Qian (impression from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms) to Liu Bei, Emperor Zhaolie of the Han Dynasty, which is really sad.
The key is...this guy also has two sworn brothers who were tied up at the beginning, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei who are the enemies of thousands of people!
In the eyes of future generations like Wang Zheng, these three brothers are more difficult to deal with than Yuan Shu, Kong Rong, Wen Chou and Tao Qian put together!
Wang Zheng felt a toothache when he thought of this.
Even though the past two months had been calm and there was no fluctuation on Pan Zhang's side, Wang Zheng still did not dare to relax for a day. When he heard Mi Heng's words, although he did not agree with it, he still asked: "What do you think, Mr. Yi?"
"My lord has previously ordered Xu Fang to capture the remaining three counties in Pengcheng." Mi Heng said with a smile: "In that case, why not open the access road to the west?"
west...
Looking at the horizon in the distance, Wang Zheng was thoughtful and could not help but raise his eyebrows: "Sir, are you talking about Yanzhou?"
"To be precise..." Mi Heng nodded in agreement and added: