Part Four: Four Seas Distressed, Anti-Zheng Alliance Chapter 118 Defeating Xiao Lu
Jingzhaofu
Knowing that Zuo Wen was defeated on the front line, Yang Min sent troops to various official mansions and "invited" them to the court. The emperor could not escape. How could the old and frail Taili withstand such a torment? Now
He was trembling even when walking. In the end, Zhao Fuli forced him to push him into the dragon chariot.
In the court hall, all the officials were drowsy. Only Shangguan Qing and Yang Min were in high spirits, as if the court was specially designed for them.
Although everyone was dazed, they didn't dare to really fall asleep, so they had to quietly pat their heads, trying to calm down for a while.
"I heard from the messenger that Sanqinguan fought with the Zheng thieves a few days ago, and was harmed by his treacherous plot, resulting in a great defeat. General Zuo was captured by him, and the situation is very critical. I wonder if you have any opinions?" Zhao Fuli asked the emperor on behalf of the emperor.
People asked questions.
Yang Min twisted her neck: "Everyone, please be alert! His Majesty is not here to play with you!"
Everyone was startled and half awake in an instant. Terry held down the dragon chair with trembling hands, looked at the general standing next to him in horror, and sighed helplessly.
At this time, a tall middle-aged minister came out and said: "Back to the general, Xiao Lu, as the prime minister of the empire, was teased by a young boy. Where is the face of the imperial court? According to what I saw, Xiao Lu should be dismissed immediately and he should be dismissed.
If you are thrown into the sky prison, the crime will be prepared by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Punishment."
This man was Shangguan Tong, a member of the four major families in the capital, and the father of Shangguan Qing, the admonishing official. His words undoubtedly represented the interests of each family, so they were unanimously approved by all the ministers.
"What Lord Shangguan said is absolutely true. Xiao Lu is just a man in white clothes, a frog in a well peeping into the sky. If this person is left to serve as the prime minister of the court, won't our Taiwei court be the laughing stock of the world? I reconsider and Xiao Lu should be escorted immediately
Tianlao." Wei Zhongcheng continued.
Wei Hanlin, the son of Wei's eldest son, then added: "Xiao Lu will definitely use this as an excuse to demand the court's food and grass. Once his power develops, it will be a big trouble. I hope the general will get rid of him as soon as possible."
Just as Yang Min was thinking about how to make a decision, Shangguan Qing once again stood up and made a different voice: "Absolutely not. If we follow your Lordships' suggestions, we will undoubtedly go to the wolves and welcome the tigers and leopards. The lesser of the two evils should be chosen. You understand, Prime Minister Xiao
But for a commoner, even if he really has two intentions, it will be difficult for him to gain a foothold. As for Zhang Qingmeng, who was born in the Zhang family of Donghai, he came to lead the army this time just because he wanted to be a court. It is only a matter of time before he wants to completely control the court. "
"Shangguan Qing!" His father, Shangguan Tong, refuted angrily: "All the Zhang family who are officials in the court have been escorted to prison, and their mansion has been surrounded by the imperial guards, so..."
"So once Zhang Qingmeng leads his troops to Beijing, the Zhang family will definitely liquidate all of you. Even so, will Prime Minister Xiao be deposed?" Shangguan Qing said in one breath, without any hesitation.
Shangguan Tong knew that he was being unreasonable and sighed in shame and anger. He really couldn't figure out why his own son always went against him.
Yang Min clapped his hands and laughed: "Shangguan Qing is indeed a loyal minister and admonisher, and Min likes him very much! We have our own reasons, and neither can my father!" Then he glanced at Shangguan Tong: "Min doesn't like you, you are too shrewd and tactful.
Thanks to you, the Shangguan family has been admonishing officials for generations!"
The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was intentional. Yang Min was just trying to be happy with his words, but the Shangguan was so frightened that he broke into a cold sweat and thought he was going to kill him, so he quickly kowtowed in apology. Yang Min was even more disgusted and ordered him to retreat.
Shangguan Qing felt puzzled as he looked at such a humble father.
"No need to discuss! Min listened to Shangguan Qing's words today and continued to send food to Prime Minister Xiao!" Yang Min readily accepted this suggestion. After all, he did not consider the interests of his family and foolishly dedicated everything to the court. In this case
Under such circumstances, other families became disloyal and even secretly began to support the Zhang family, hoping to gain a place in the upcoming reshuffle.
July 438 of the Great Yuan Calendar
At the beginning of summer, the sun hung like a fireball in the blue sky, and the air seemed to be frozen by the sunlight, making it sweltering. From time to time, a few swallows murmured, which made the noisy people upset.
Qingmeng led his army and had been stationed outside Sanqin Pass for more than five months. Gao Chou in the rear used various means to confiscate the surplus grain from the big landowners and continuously supplied food to the front line.
On the anti-Zheng alliance, Lou Ning informed Ouyang Xiya about Han Jin. When the latter heard about it, she insisted on disguising herself as a man and went to Jiang'an City alone. Without worries, Lou Ning finally played the role of "joining the army" and brought the entire
The Allied forces were in such disarray that after more than half a year, their marching speed still showed no progress.
On this day, Xiao Lu counted a total of 8,000 garrison troops at Sanqin Pass, and then they came out in full force, leading the army to travel dozens of miles and set up camp.
But what troubled him was that although the imperial court promised to allocate food, six months had passed and there was still no movement. Now the military rations at Sanqin Pass have been used up, and they are only waiting for life-saving food from the imperial court.
A few days later, Yang Min's younger brother Yang Na came to the military camp unhurriedly with provisions and grass. Xiao Lu heard about this and hurriedly put on his official uniform and went to meet him.
"Master Yang..." Xiao Lu looked at the pitiful amount of food: "Are you kidding me?"
Yang Na pulled out the sword in his hand and inserted it into the rice bag with a bang. White rice spilled out along the breach, and the Sanqinguan soldiers swallowed their saliva quietly.
"These grains of rice are genuine. Are you still not satisfied?" Yang Na pulled out his sword and sneered: "Brother means that this battle must be won, otherwise you will be punished."
Xiao Lu couldn't believe it. The food brought by Yang Ne was only enough for a population of 2,000 people, and it could only survive for three days! No need to think about it, this group of nobles must have been stumbling in secret, waiting for him to fall.
The day it fell.
After such a change, even Xiao Lu, who was as stable as a rock, couldn't bear it, and simply asked loudly: "What on earth... do you want me to do, Xiao Lu?"
"How is it?" Yang Ne said sinisterly: "I want you to know how to advance and retreat, and be sensible. Being in a high position is not necessarily a good thing. I hope Prime Minister Xiao can do it for himself." After saying this, he stepped on the white rice scattered on the floor, his head turned.
He left without looking back. Only Xiao Lu stood there helpless and furious.
Qingmeng Military Tent on the Other Side
After Yu Jitao learned the news from the front line, he immediately informed Qingmeng of the matter and expressed his own opinion: "According to Jitao, Xiao Lu is constrained by the rear, and he must fight quickly. And the food can't last for five years."
Today, we only need to avoid the battle and wait five days before coming up with a strange plan to defeat Xiao Lu!"
"What the military advisor said is reasonable, let us wait for him for five days..." Qing Meng replied.
In the past five days, Qing Meng led his army to retreat frantically, while Xiao Lu rushed at him like a hungry wolf. Even though he tried his best, he could not find a chance for a head-on confrontation. He sent troops to rob food, but was beaten to a miserable state. Xiao Lu
Lu's heart was getting more and more anxious. How could he think about using tricks?
At night, the exhausted army finally waited for a meal, but what was distributed to everyone did not look like rice porridge at all, it was like turbid water! Now, the cook who was responsible for distributing the porridge suffered a disaster.
He was beaten and kicked by a group of angry soldiers, who even tried to push his head into the boiling porridge water. The whole military camp began to become restless.
"Prime Minister, please go take a look!" The guard hurriedly broke into the military tent and reported to Xiao Lu. Xiao Lu was shocked when he heard this, and quickly put down the bowl in his hand and followed the guard to the scene.
Among the group of people, one of the leading soldiers shouted angrily: "I'm charging in the front, so I can drink this bowl of crap?" After saying that, he poured the boiling porridge water on the cook's face, which hurt the cook.
The soldiers screamed again and again. The soldiers remained unyielding and cursed everything they suppressed in their hearts.
"Stop!" Xiao Lu walked into the center with his guards. Looking at the cook's burned face, he looked back and asked everyone: "What's going on? Are you going to rebel?"
The soldiers looked at each other, and at some point a sentence came out from the crowd: "We are not rebelling! We are trying to take back the rations that should belong to us!"
From this sentence, all the soldiers targeted Xiao Lu:
"The Prime Minister is quite leisurely. He hangs around the military tent with a broken book all day long, drinking wine and eating meat. He doesn't think about the brothers who are working hard at the front. Even a bowl of porridge is as thin as water. Is this also the case?
An order from the imperial court?”
"This porridge can be poured out, so shouldn't the Prime Minister explain it?"
After hearing this, Xiao Lu picked up a long spoon and shook it in the pot: "Grain officer, why do you only put this little rice?"
"Prime Minister, if we didn't divide the food like this, we would have run out already, and we won't be able to survive for just a few days..." the food officer replied with a helpless look on his face.
"Really..." Xiao Lu looked at the figure reflected in the pot and fell into deep thought.
After a long while, Xiao Lu finally raised his head and comforted everyone: "Please be patient for one day. I will go back to the city in person early tomorrow morning to ask for more food from above. I hope everyone can be patient for one day..."
This almost pleading tone left everyone speechless, so they had no choice but to listen to Xiao Lu and settle down for the time being. After Xiao Lu hastily arranged to join the army and act as an agent in the army, he ran non-stop towards the main city.
The next day, through the spy's report, Yu Jitao roughly grasped the enemy's movements and reported the matter to Qingmeng.
"Based on what the military advisor sees, what should we do?" Qing Meng asked as he handed over his hand.
Yu Jitao shook off the sweet-scented osmanthus folding fan and said, "Mr. Zheng, does he remember that there was a general named Qiu Fei in the city? Although this man is unjust and follows the wind, he can be of great use now."
"In that case, send someone to bring Qiu Fei over quickly!" Qing Meng quickly ordered the people around him.
Qiu Fei tiptoed into the military tent. When he saw the two of them, he immediately threw himself to the ground: "What are your orders, sir?"
"I heard that you are Zhang Wenbo's general. I guess all the troops in Guanzhong have crossed paths with you?" Qing Meng asked tentatively.
Qiu Fei thought for a while and blurted out: "To be honest with you adults, no one in the entire Sanqin Pass recognizes me, Qiu Fei. What I say definitely has weight!"
"In this case, Duke Zheng wants to send you an errand to ask for merit from His Majesty. I wonder if you are willing?" Yu Jitao waved his folding fan lightly and sat aside.
Qiu Fei finally got the opportunity to perform meritorious service, he quickly knelt down to thank him and happily accepted the task, but what exactly did Yu Jitao want him to do?
At dusk that day, Qiu Fei led a small team of people to deliver dozens of carts of food to Xiao Lujun's station, and shouted loudly: "Brothers, come and share the food! I stole these from that idiot Zhang Qingmeng, and I also
There are more that haven’t arrived! Divide these first!”
"Lord Qiu is our reborn parent!" The soldiers burst into tears of gratitude while frantically carrying the food. Seeing that Qiu Fei's posture was not right, he pulled out his sword and shouted at everyone: "Let's see who dares to touch this cart of food!"
Then he pointed his sword at Qiu Fei: "What is the purpose of Zhang Qingmeng sending you here?"
Qiu Fei didn't answer, but smiled and gestured for him to look around. He saw all the soldiers holding their weapons and glaring at Junjun fiercely, as if they had the revenge of killing his father. Junjun was also afraid of triggering a mutiny, so he had to sigh and wave.
Waving his hands: "Move it, move it..."
After everyone moved down the carts of grain, Qiu Fei said to the army in front of everyone: "There are still hundreds of carts of grain parked in the mountains. Quickly find young brothers who are still strong enough to carry them with me.
Let the brothers have a full meal!"
Without waiting for the order from Joining the Army, all the soldiers capable of carrying them put down their weapons and followed Qiu Fei. Although Joining the Army was suspicious, he had no choice but to turn a blind eye and let them go. Those who stayed in the barracks were all
They were gray-haired veterans and soldiers dying of hunger.
No one expected that Qiu Fei not only did not take the people to transport food, but instead took them to the Qingmeng Army garrison. After a meal of hospitality from the enemy, these young soldiers who were still able to fight were hastily incorporated into the Qingmeng Army.
Under his command.
"Military advisor, why don't you ask Qiu Fei to bring everyone here?" Qing Meng asked Yu Jitao's sleeve.
Yu Jitao put away the folding fan and smiled: "That would be too unethical. We have to leave some elders to show filial piety to Prime Minister Xiao..."
After hearing this, Qing Meng smiled from ear to ear, pointed at Yu Ji and said, "You..." Then her throat was filled with laughing gas, and she was laughing so hard that she could not speak.
On the other side, Xiao Lu, who had not brought a grain of food, was upset. After entering the military camp and seeing no one, he yelled: "Where are the people!!"
No one responded, so Xiao Lu shouted three more times, and then a veteran walked towards him tremblingly on crutches: "Prime Minister, he is here..." Following this, a group of veterans who were over seventy years of age came towards him.
Running over, the scene once felt like being surrounded by mummies.
Those who knew it was a military camp, but those who didn’t knew it thought it was a nursing home! This inexplicable scene made Xiao Lu dumbfounded. Only then did he realize that he had fallen into Yu Jitao’s plan, but he didn’t blame anyone for this. After all, that was
All the nobles didn't want him to win.
The next day, Xiao Lu's army, which had run out of food, had no choice but to retreat, but its marching speed was very slow. As expected, Yu Jitao spotted him and set up an ambush, causing the Xiao Lu army to suffer heavy losses. Mu Mingrui held the Coiling Dragon Golden Gun and shouted, "Capture Xiao Lu alive!"
It frightened everyone even more.
Xiao Lu took advantage of the panic to grab a horse and fled into the darkness without a trace. His escape caused confusion among the soldiers at Sanqin Pass, and eventually all of them were wiped out.
After a series of victories such as the Qingmeng Army's surrender of Guanlang, the capture of Zuo Wen, and the defeat of Xiao Lu, Sanqin Pass was no longer able to resist, and the cowardly Zhang Wenbo had no choice but to surrender. Since then, Sanqin Pass, known as the "copper wall and iron wall", has completely surrendered to Qingmeng
, the gate to the land of Sanqin is open.
Now the last line of defense in the capital only remains at Xiu Mountain and Bugu Pass. The success or failure of these two places is related to the rise and fall of the world. Everyone is holding their breath and watching this fateful decisive battle.