In the middle of the night, a sound of fighting suddenly echoed around.
Xia Jun, who was sleeping soundly in Rongzhou City, was awakened by the sound and stood up in a panic.
Liao Gu, the commander-in-chief of the Xia army, was waiting for his soldiers. While wearing all his armor, he cursed angrily:
"The arrogant Yunjun is really not letting anyone stop every day!"
But before he could even put on his armor, the shouts outside the city suddenly stopped.
Gu Liao stood up and listened carefully to the disappearing movement outside. He suddenly became furious, drew out the sword from his waist, and shouted:
"Damn it, you dare to tease me. With less than 20,000 soldiers and horses, you dare to surround my army of more than 100,000 in Rongzhou City. What a dare! If I don't teach Yun's army a lesson today, I will never do it again."
As a human being!”
Shicheng County was originally garrisoned with no more than 10,000 soldiers and horses. When Wu Zixu took office, he brought 3,000 Guanning cavalry and 5,000 elite imperial troops.
After the Li Dynasty navy was completely wiped out and the Xia army was defeated and retreated to Rongzhou City, the crisis in Shicheng County was resolved. After Wu Zixu left only 5,000 troops to garrison in Shicheng County, he led the remaining 17,000 troops and pursued them along the way.
Rongzhou City.
Relying on the three thousand Guan Ning cavalry, they were invincible. Wherever the heavy cavalry went, the men and horses were smashed, and the morale of the Xia army was low. Wu Zixu blocked Xia's hundreds of thousands of troops with less than 20,000 troops and horses.
In Rongzhou City.
It can also be said to be an unprecedented war!
At this time, he heard that Liao Gu was fierce and seemed to want to leave the city to kill Yun Jun's majesty. The general who had just arrived at the side quickly persuaded:
"General, don't fall into the Yun Kingdom's scheme! The three thousand cavalry of the Yun Kingdom are so powerful that no one can compete with them. The Yun Army has been in turmoil for the past few days, but they have not actually attacked the city. They just want to
If you provoke me, I will leave the city and fight with you!"
"General, don't fall for the trap! No matter how powerful the Yun Kingdom's heavy cavalry is, they can't crush the fortified city. Even if we waste them, we can still kill them!"
"General, please think again!"
After hearing the persuasion of his generals, Liao Gu finally had no determination to risk everything and go out of the city to fight.
After a long time, he could only kick down the desk angrily and said angrily:
"Wait for me, General!"
At this time, outside Rongzhou City, in the Yunjun camp.
Looking at the closed gate of Rongzhou City in the distance, Wu Zixu curled his lips and showed a contemptuous smile, saying:
"Xia Jun would rather feel resentful among his soldiers than go out to the city to fight to boost morale. It seems that he is afraid in front of you... In this case, I won't be polite!"
Speaking of this, Wu Zixu immediately said in a deep voice:
"Instruct all ministries to leave 3,000 heavy cavalry and 2,000 forbidden troops to stay with me in the main camp. All other troops and horses from all ministries will be dispersed to attack in all directions. I want this Rongzhou City to become an isolated city!"
"Got the order!"
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Xia Kingdom, Anshun County.
Hao Yuanhua, the former leader of the rebels, had already received a salary from the Xia Dynasty court. He suddenly became the lieutenant of Anshun County and the imperial title of Tinghou of the capital of Leyi. He occupied the government office and issued administrative orders without hesitation.
A group of rebel generals also put on their official armor at this time, leading their respective ministries and garrisoning the cities under the jurisdiction of Anshun County. The military, political and financial forces seized Anshun County, one of the six counties in the southwest, and completely destroyed it.
Operate for a country within a country!
But today, these generals who were entrenched in the local area gathered in the government office uncharacteristically.
A long shout was heard outside the government office lobby.
"Master Hou is here!"
Surrounded by several confidants, Hao Yuanhua strode into the lobby with his head held high.
All the generals stood up one after another, raised their fists in salute to Hao Yuanhua, and said loudly:
"See you Lord Marquis!"
Now that he has been canonized by the imperial court, the previous title of General Anshun can no longer be used.
Along with the title, Hao Yuanhua's demeanor and temperament also changed quietly.
Hao Yuanhua, who was originally dressed in simple clothes, born in poverty, and hated the powerful, is now accompanied by carriages and horses, and enters a mansion with a cloud of beautiful maids. He is dressed in a gorgeous brocade robe, his face is red, and his body is much richer.
Although his appearance has not changed much, he only has a slightly richer body. He took off his common clothes and put on a rich costume and a crown. But no matter how you look at it, his gestures and gestures no longer have the same arrogance as when he led the people to rebel and occupied a place in order to seek a way to survive.
Ambition!
It's like a brave man turning into a dragon...
Hao Yuanhua sat on the main seat and looked around at everyone present with a smile.
But within a moment, the smile suddenly solidified and disappeared, and his face became a little unsightly.
After a while, Hao Yuanhua just snorted coldly, looked at his followers beside him, raised his brows, and shouted sternly:
"Where is my second brother? I ordered you to summon the generals from all ministries to come to discuss matters, but you were negligent and did not notify me?"
Being scolded so harshly by Hao Yuanhua, the attendants around him suddenly trembled, immediately knelt down on the ground, and said:
"Please calm down, Mr. Marquis. I did send someone to inform General Murong. As for why he didn't come... General, I really don't know!"
After hearing this, Hao Yuanhua continued to scold:
"It's not your fault. Could it be that my second brother ignored the military order?"
When the followers heard this, they had no choice but to kowtow and try their best to defend themselves.
The harsh scolding made all the generals in the hall speechless and did not dare to speak.
The wise generals have already figured out a little bit about it.
At the beginning, King Qi led the southwest frontier army and went out in full force, vowing to eradicate the Anshun County rebels headed by Hao Yuanhua as soon as possible.
In the next two to three months, more than 100,000 troops were entrenched in Anshun County. The seemingly powerful rebel force was already severely weakened, and they were only holding on to the last county.
If the Xia court had not suddenly chosen to surrender, the rebels in Anshun County would have been destroyed long ago. How could they be as powerful as they are today?
While the southwest frontier army was trying its best to encircle and suppress the rebels in Anshun County, Murong Fu, who was in Shaoyang County, relied on the huge amount of relief supplies from the Xia Kingdom to recruit troops and win over people's hearts.
Taking advantage of the lack of troops in Shaoyang County, they occupied most of the city in Shaoyang County in a short period of time, and their power expanded rapidly. Finally, when the Xia Dynasty court was recruiting troops, he was also awarded the title of Lieutenant of Shaoyang County.
The original idea was to throw Murong Fu out to attract Xia Guo's attention and delay time. But he never expected that in the end he would take advantage of this opportunity to gain momentum and become equal to himself.
At this time, Hao Yuanhua was naturally very afraid of Murong Fu and was always thinking about how to suppress him.
Murong Fu naturally noticed something strange, and deliberately began to break away from the relationship with Anshun County. Hao Yuanhua summoned him on the pretext of discussing important matters, how could Murong Fu come over?
I deliberately acted like this at this time, probably because I wanted to take the opportunity to have an attack...
Thinking of this, the generals were even more afraid to get involved. Even the generals who had brains that couldn't turn around were restrained by their companions from talking too much.
Seeing that the fire was almost done, Hao Yuanhua immediately pretended to be suspicious and said:
"Are you really not the one who made the mistake?"
"Please Lord Marquis, please give me a clear warning!"
"Then...could it be that something happened on the road? Forget it, let's send someone to check it out later. Although he is my sworn brother, he has military orders. If he really delays the military plane, he will be punished!" Hao Yuanhua said solemnly!
.
When all the generals heard the words, they immediately understood and bowed in unison, shouting:
"The Marquis is wise!"
Hao Yuanhua paused and then got down to business.
"There is an urgent report from the army that ten days ago, the army of Jianchang Prefecture of Yun State had invaded Jiangyang County. The imperial court issued a decree, ordering us to immediately mobilize troops and go to the rescue!"
The generals were originally confused as to what kind of news needed to summon them all together.
After hearing that it was the Yun Kingdom army that was invading, all the generals suddenly looked shocked, and there was an explosion in the government office lobby.
"The Yun Kingdom army invaded?"
"The important city of Jiangyang County has never been lost in six hundred years, but it was destroyed today?"
"Wait a minute, where are the southwest frontier troops stationed in Jiangyang County!"
Hearing the discussions among his generals, Hao Yuanhua frowned slightly. After everyone calmed down a little, he said in a deep voice:
"The Xia Kingdom's court has made a clever move. The hundreds of thousands of troops from the entire southwest have been secretly sent to Rongzhou long ago! In Jiangyang County, except for two to three thousand local county soldiers, there are no other soldiers!"
When the generals heard this, they were surprised again and said:
"Rongzhou? Didn't they all go to Dejiang County?"
"Tsk, if we had known earlier, we could have even captured Jiangyang County!"
"It's just a pity!"
"What's the pity? We just occupied it at that time. What are we going to do to fight the Yun army now?"
"..."
Hao Yuanhua's brows furrowed even more as he looked at the messy government office lobby where the discussion was in full swing!
Seeing the generals talking more and more lively, without caring that he was still sitting on top, Hao Yuanhua's dissatisfaction became more and more intense, and his nameless anger grew.
The next moment, only a crisp "click" sound was heard.
The tea cup in hand was thrown to the ground by Hao Yuanhua.
For a moment, there was silence in the lobby.
The generals realized something was wrong and quickly stood in a line respectfully, lowering their heads.
Ever since the general became a marquis, it has become increasingly difficult to get along with him...
Looking at his subordinates who had just become honest at this time, Hao Yuanhua snorted coldly and said:
"I have made up my mind to follow the imperial decree and resist the Yun Kingdom army!"
When the generals heard this, they were immediately shocked.
When the southwest frontier army encircled and suppressed them, they had many veteran soldiers under their command who were extremely brave. However, in front of the Xia Kingdom's regular army, which was proficient in battle formations and had countless masters in the army, they were nothing more than a mantis.
The army of the Yun Kingdom had defeated the Southwest Frontier Army. What was the difference between letting them resist, who had just recovered a little strength, and sending them to death?
The generals were determined to object, but seeing Hao Yuanhua's still angry face and his increasingly mean and fierce aura, they all felt fear in their hearts. Even if they had objections, they did not dare to speak at this time. They just bowed their heads and remained silent.
Voice.
Seeing his generals acting like this, Hao Yuanhua could also see what they were thinking.
They all came from poor backgrounds, and after being recruited, they got official positions. They didn't have to fight with their heads up. It was the time when they were enjoying their blessings. How could they be willing to fight against Yun's army?
In fact, even Hao Yuanhua was unwilling at first.
But thinking of the promise made by the embroiderer who came to his door that day, Hao Yuanhua's heart became hot again.
-------------------
"The former patron of the Marquis has now been imprisoned in the mansion, with no hope. And the Marquis, you are a rebel. If you don't have a backing, what will happen when the court frees up your hands? But if you can do your best now
, to resist the Yun army, my Prince Qi, seeing your sincerity and loyalty, will definitely forget about it and put it to good use!"
Seeing that Hao Yuanhua was still hesitant, the embroiderer chuckled again and said:
"I know that the Marquis is still worried, but if you think about it carefully, now that your subordinates have dispersed and occupied the city, are they more and more obedient to your military orders?"
"Using such a group of disobedient generals in exchange for the trust of His Highness Prince Qi. The elite Yun army will be damaged in fighting with them. At that time, the Marquis will send his cronies to take over their territory and take back the territory legitimately.
.Such a deal that offers the best of both worlds. If I were the Marquis, I would have nodded in agreement long ago!"
-------------------
After the memory was over, Hao Yuanhua came back to his senses and turned his head slightly. Looking at the gorgeous silk and satin, gold, silver and jade ornaments on his body, the luxurious furnishings in the lobby, and all the look-alike, seemingly respectful generals, he took a deep breath.
Ever since the southwest frontier army launched an all-out siege and saw the gap between himself and Xia's elite officers and soldiers, Hao Yuanhua's spirit had been shattered.
At this time, he no longer wants to rebel, and he no longer wants to face the army. All he can think about now is to be his own powerful person and enjoy the blessings that he has not enjoyed for seven or eight generations.
Therefore, Hao Yuanhua accepted this certificate!
"According to the decree of the imperial court, I have ordered this prince to take charge of Anshun County and Jiangyang County with military and horse power. The grain, grass, supplies, and ordnance of all the subordinates under his command will be provided by the imperial court. If you have military merits, I will not hesitate to reward you!"
As soon as these words came out, the generals immediately raised their heads and looked at Hao Yuanhua in disbelief.
They now occupy the city separately. Except for paying a certain amount of taxes to Hao Yuanhua, the rest of the taxes can be disposed of by themselves. This part of the money is not only used for their squandering and enjoyment, but also to support the tribes under their command.
And if they send troops to resist the Yun army, it means that they will not have to bear the cost of the army, which accounts for a large part of their financial revenue! In addition, there are also weapons and armor, which can be obtained from the court.
Thinking of this, the generals were suddenly shaken in their hearts.
Seeing this, Hao Yuanhua continued:
"The imperial court also promised this prince that whoever recovers the city in Jiangyang County will have that city as a fief. He will be provided with gold, silver, and titles, and he will not be stingy!"
Hearing this, the eyes of all the generals brightened up.
Hao Yuanhua looked around at everyone and said seriously:
"If it weren't for the emptiness in the southwest, the imperial court would not be able to provide such a big benefit. You are all my subjects, how can I still harm you? If you hesitate again, you will not be able to do this until the imperial court mobilizes troops from other places.
Good thing!"
Having said this, the generals could no longer hesitate and said one after another:
"The Marquis will never harm our brothers, and we will eventually listen to the Marquis!"
"That's right, that's right, Yun Guo is not a good person. Let's go back and gather all the soldiers and send out troops!"
"Do it, do it!"
Power and wealth are the most likely to corrupt people.
In just a few months, the former rebel general had turned into this profit-driven person.
Seeing this, Hao Yuanhua nodded with satisfaction and said: