Chang'an is good

Chapter 571: General, please clear up the internal strife

The person who came to deliver the message was an armored general.

The general rode up alone, stopped his horse in front of the army formation that had been hastily set up in front of the Shuofang camp, and asked loudly, "Who is Xue Fu?"

As soon as he opened his mouth, the Shuofang Army in front realized that the general was actually a woman.

There had never been any female soldiers in the Shuofang Army. When they saw the majestic general approaching the battlefield from afar, they assumed that he was a man.

Shepherd's Purse was born with thick bones, his cheeks were dark red from the wind and snow, he had some frostbite, and his eyes were fierce and menacing.

Fellow soldiers could all see that a pair of eyes like that must have been soaked in bloody battles and could not be underestimated.

Some of the Shuofang soldiers looked at She Cai warily, while others turned around to look for the whereabouts of Xue Fu whom she had asked about.

During the standoff between the two armies, before the battle began, the other side sent out a messenger to deliver a message. It was still unknown what signal the other side was sending... but why did they only ask about Xue Fu?
Xue Fu quickly stood up, stepped forward and clasped his fists towards the female general on horseback: "I am Xue Fu!"

Shepherd's Purse's eyes fell on the young man and he showed something with his right hand: "General Xue, do you recognize this thing?"

Xue Fu looked up and his face changed slightly: "This is the bronze token of Yue Jieshi - what did you do to Yue Langjun?"

"General Xue, don't panic. Master Yue is safe and sound. This item was handed over to my envoy by Master Yue himself!" Shepherd's Purse said, looking back: "This captain can testify to this."

Xue Fu looked up at the man who came forward: "Captain Ji!"

Although Ji Ren did not hold a high position in the army, he was Yue Guang's trusted confidant and followed Yue Guang around all year round, and everyone in the army knew him.

"General Xue." The wounded Ji Ren walked to the front of She Cai's horse, clasped his fists to Xue Fu, then looked at the soldiers in front of the army and said, "Today, we followed the young master out of the city to welcome the envoy's coffin into the city, but on the way back to the city, we were assassinated by the men under the deputy envoy! The young master and the imperial envoy almost died at the hands of the rebels. Fortunately, the Huainan Dao Chang Jieshi stepped in to quell the rebellion, which saved us from being silenced!"

"I am here on the orders of Lord Dalang to explain this matter! Shi Daxiong originally wanted to blame Lord Dalang's 'death' on the imperial envoy, in order to incite rebellion in the army so that he could seize the position of the governor of Shuofang in the chaos!"

After hearing what happened, the Shuofang Army's expressions changed.

Although some of them had heard rumors of this matter just now, they were not sure whether it was true or not. Also, due to the chaotic situation, they had no time to think about it and make a decision.

It was not until this time that Xue Fu was truly sure of the whereabouts of the 4,000 soldiers... They were ordered by Shi Daxiong to assassinate the imperial envoy and even Yue Dalangjun and his comrades.

Seeing that his plan to silence the witnesses had failed, Shi Daxiong hurried back to the camp, intending to lead his troops to defect and flee Lingzhou under the pretext of suppressing the rebellion!

Amid the restless voices, more people turned their attention to Shepherd's Purse, including Xue Fu.

Facing the cautious questioning look in his eyes, She Cai spoke up and said, "Please rest assured, my envoy led the troops here today, and I have no intention of offending you! The envoy has said that we will not take an inch of land from Shuofang, and will not hurt any innocent soldiers from Shuofang!"

The Shuofang Army was surprised by this promise, and then they heard the female general on horseback say, "Today, my envoy has only one request."

She Cai's gaze fell on Xue Fu again: "--General Xue Fu, please immediately put an end to the internal strife in the Shuofang Army!"

Xue Fu raised his eyes in surprise.

This "instruction" surprised him, and the words "please serve General Xue" also puzzled him... Why him?
He knew that he was not well-known, at least his name could not spread beyond the Guannei Road... How could the envoy Chang Jie know about a mere Xue Fu?
Upon learning that tens of thousands of cavalry had indeed broken into Lingzhou and that they were led by Chang Suining, the governor of Huainan Province, Xue Fu was surprised, but at the same time, he felt a sense of unspeakable luck in his heart.

He had naturally heard of Chang Suining's reputation, but compared to the other party's achievements that were far beyond the reach of ordinary people, what impressed Xue Fu more was the fact that the other party donated 7 million strings of cash to the northern border.

Seven million strings of cash could be used to do so many things in this troubled time, such as recruiting soldiers, casting military equipment, and establishing one's own territory... But the envoy Chang Jie, who lived far away in Huainan Road, chose to use it on border garrison affairs in the north that had nothing to do with her directly, and turned it into a barrier to protect the interior of the country.

At that time, the military pay in the northern border was tight. If it weren't for the 7 million strings of cash to solve the urgent problem, it would have been hard to imagine how difficult it would have been to resist the Northern Di.

Based on this incident, Xue Fu found it hard to believe that such a person would choose to take the initiative to invade Guannei Road when the Northern Di cavalry was approaching.

Ji Ren's arrival and She Cai's words just confirmed his thoughts.

But Xue Fu, who had seen too many ambitions, found it difficult to completely abandon his doubts about human nature. He bowed to She Cai and made a final confirmation: "May I ask if this is the whole purpose of Envoy Chang Jie's visit?"

Shepherd's Purse's voice was loud and straightforward: "That's right, the envoy's trip is only to help General Xue Fu quell the civil strife in Shuofang and take charge of the overall situation in Guannei!"

Xue Fu's heart trembled, and he changed his bow to a solemn one: "Xue Fu knows what to do!"

She Cai nodded, drove his horse back a few steps, and just as he was about to turn his horse around and leave, he heard a voice from the Shuofang army: "In my opinion, it is clear that Xue Fu has colluded with the foreign thieves! I was wondering how Chang Suining could sneak into Lingzhou without making any noise, it turns out that someone is colluding with him from the inside!"

"The thief cries thief, it's just a show! You want to use this to stir up civil strife in the Shuofang Army? Dream on!"

"This bitch who relies on others' power dares to instigate the Shuofang Army. I will chop her into pieces first..."

The general who drew his sword and stepped forward had not yet finished speaking when his voice suddenly broke.

The long sword in his hand fell, and he raised his hands tremblingly and lowered his eyes to look at his neck.

A sickle-shaped axe, the blade now embedded in the larynx of his neck.

He fell backwards with a thud.

"General Peng Wu!"

"How dare you, woman... kill my Shuofang general in public!"

The woman pulled the axe from behind her waist and took Peng Wu's life without saying a word!

Someone drew his knife and pointed it at Shepherd's Purse. Everyone was in an uproar, but they were restrained by Xue Fu and others.

Shepherd's Purse sat on the horse without moving, and said, "I have to go back alive to report to my envoy. I can't die in the hands of these evil-minded bastards!"

Amid the commotion, Xue Fu stepped forward and pulled out the axe from Peng Wu's neck, then handed it back to She Cai's horse with both hands: "Thank you, General, for helping us get rid of the thieves within."

She Cai took the knife, looked at the young man with satisfaction, and said, "Although we don't want to interfere in the internal affairs of the Shuofang Army, if General Xue Fu needs it, just send someone to pass the message. My envoy will lead the troops to wait outside the camp!"

When she said the last sentence, she put the bloody axe back on her waist, glanced at the Shuofang soldiers, and raised her voice.

Xue Fu knew that this was to help him suppress people's hearts.

The other party dared to say this, he must have received instructions from Envoy Chang. The Envoy Chang, whom he had never met before, actually intended to support him.

Xue Fu was still confused and even felt flattered, but his back unconsciously straightened more. His heart was burning with a burst of excitement. He clasped his fists again and watched She Cai drive the horse away.

Xue Fu turned around and faced the Shuofang soldiers, his eyes more firm and sharp than usual. Some people in the crowd secretly clenched their fists, and several generals exchanged glances and took the initiative to stand beside Xue Fu.

Shi Daxiong was busy trying to get out, and was exhausted at the moment, so he would not appear in front of the army. Most of his confidants were also summoned by him to discuss matters, so Shi Daxiong's personal soldiers were not many, and most of them were people with wavering positions.

Xue Fu knew that this was his chance to win people's hearts.

At this time, a group of more than ten soldiers came rushing from the city, bringing military orders from the two deputy envoys Jin and Cheng.

Yue Chunyan has already entered the city, and the two deputy envoys have also learned of Shi Daxiong's actions. They ordered the army to arrest and punish Shi Daxiong and not allow him to have the opportunity to defect from Lingzhou.

At this time, the two deputy envoys were already on their way back to the camp.

"Shi Daxiong mobilized the troops without authorization, murdered the imperial envoy on his own initiative, offended and bumped into the coffin of the envoy, killed his comrades, and nearly put Yue Dalangjun to death! He is truly an unkind, unjust and disloyal person, and everyone has the right to kill him!"

Xue Fu said loudly: "I know there are many among you who support Shi Daxiong, but you must understand that he is now a traitor to the Shuofang Army!"

"There are soldiers inside who want to kill him, and there are 50,000 cavalrymen outside who are surrounding him. Shi Daxiong will not be able to leave here alive today! Even if you protect him and fight to the death to escape the rebellion, don't forget that your family is still in the inner road, and you don't have the ability to take them away or protect them!"

"Then you will become traitors of the Shuofang Army, and your family and descendants will also be branded with the same stigma!"

"To risk your life to follow a man without moral integrity, to swing your sword at your comrades who have fought side by side with you, to bury the glory you have gained from fighting on the battlefield, you might as well ask yourself, is this really worth it!"

"The envoys must avenge their foreign enemies, and those who kill their comrades should also die. If you want to eliminate the foreign enemies, you must first stabilize the internal situation!" Xue Fu said this and suddenly drew his sword: "Today, anyone who tries to follow the traitors or takes the opportunity to promote internal strife will be killed according to military regulations! There will be no internal traitors in the Shuofang army today!"

After a moment of silence, a shout suddenly broke out: "...eliminate the traitors within, and comfort the souls of the envoy and his comrades who died in vain!"

"Eliminate the traitors within!"

"Eliminate the traitors within!"

Everyone raised their swords and shouted loudly. For a moment, morale surged and the shouts shook the sky.

For most of the Shuofang Army, if Shi Daxiong had only assassinated the imperial envoy today, they might not care. Many people would even think that Shi Daxiong was extremely courageous. However, Shi Daxiong touched Yue Chunyan, and his hands were stained with the blood of Shuofang soldiers.

Yue Guang's reputation in Guannei Road is unquestionable. His death is a pain in the hearts of all the soldiers. His eldest son should never become a victim of the struggle for power.

What's more, putting aside these moral issues, there are 50,000 cavalrymen surrounding the outside at the moment, and the commander Chang Suining has already made his position and attitude clear... They, the Shuofang Army, are not afraid of death, but there is no reason for them to seek death for an unkind and unjust person.

Everyone has morality, the only difference is the amount. If one can survive safely by following morality, then no one will refuse to become one of those who advocate morality.

The morale here was like fire and began to spread rapidly. Wherever it went, it melted iron into gold and rebuilt the military spirit among the once wavering and divided Shuofang Army.

Outside the military camp, less than half a mile away, countless cavalrymen stood silently in the snow. They were so dark that there was no end in sight, and seemed to be connected to the gray sky. They were like iron shields and sharp swords standing in the sky, monitoring and maintaining order between this world.

Chang Suining sat on his horse, looking in the direction of the Shuofang military camp.

The morale there was shaken at this moment, and it was rushing towards them with the wind.

The noise in the army naturally quickly reached Shi Daxiong's ears. At this moment, he was gritting his teeth and cursing as he mounted his horse.

Although he had lost the support of the people, he still had a thousand trusted soldiers by his side. He had had people repeatedly investigate the direction where Chang Suining's cavalry was surrounding him.

The cavalrymen had surrounded the camp on three sides, and the only side that had not yet been surrounded was because their Shuofang camp was camped on the mountain for the sake of concealment and defense, as well as to resist the cold current.

Behind the military camp was a mountain range where Chang Suining's cavalry were not present. However, Shi Daxiong was familiar with the terrain in the mountains and knew that there was a hidden mountain road inside the mountains.

They had taken advantage of the chaos to prepare horses, and Shi Daxiong had even set up a plan to break out from the other side before setting off. But when he escaped from the military camp and saw the snow-covered mountain road in front of him, he still heard the whistling sound of arrows behind him.

His men began to fall over and over, and their advance was disrupted. Xue Fu led his men to encircle them from both sides. When the arrows stopped, Xue Fu had already blocked the entrance to the narrow mountain road.

Xue Fu was not fooled by Shi Daxiong's tricks. He was sure that Shi Daxiong would leave from the mountain road behind the military camp.

When he started to learn martial arts at a young age, Deputy Envoy Cheng once said that his talent in martial arts was not outstanding, but he was still a promising talent because once he decided on something to do, he would never waver and would not be distracted by external things.

At that time, Deputy Envoy Cheng told him to keep this advantage, which could make up for his shortcomings. Xue Fu always kept this sentence in mind.

The accumulated concentration has enabled him to have a clearer mind and judgment than ordinary people. His calm and introverted demeanor comes from this.

Soon, more and more soldiers rushed here.

Shi Daxiong stared at the young man who was blocking his way. This was the first time he looked this junior in the eye.

As their eyes met, Shi Daxiong narrowed his eyes: "Boy, I underestimated you in the past."

He said, "How about we negotiate a deal?"

At the same time, the two deputy envoys Jin and Cheng arrived half a mile outside the military camp and were forced to stop their carriages.

Looking at the cavalry troops blocking the military camp like a shield wall, even the battle-hardened Deputy Envoy Cheng felt horrified for a moment.

The appearance of 50,000 cavalrymen was rare even in his many years of marching experience.

It had been about twenty years since he last witnessed such a scene.

After checking their identities, the cavalry team, which was as impenetrable as a shield wall, began to make way for them in an orderly manner.

Deputy Envoy Cheng was old and ill and could no longer drive a horse. He sat in the slowly moving carriage, looking through the heavy curtains at the cavalrymen on both sides who were slowly making way.

As the carriage passed by, the cavalry on both sides retreated in sight, as if they had become a dense forest of fir trees.

Passing through this long and dense "forest" path, there is no obstruction in front of the view, and the vision is finally illuminated by the heavy snow ahead. Along with the light of the snow, a man and a horse in the front appear in front of us.

Before he could see the person's face clearly, Deputy Envoy Cheng had already guessed who this figure was.

The figure on horseback also turned his head and looked at him. The moment their eyes met, the elderly Deputy Envoy Cheng's eyes almost trembled with shock.

He raised his hand to hold the door frame of the carriage, leaned forward, and almost blurted out "Your Highness the Crown Prince".

4200 words updated! Thanks to miya2022 for the -word reward! Thanks to Caomu Jingzhe, Spring Rolls Are Not Delicious, Fengguangji, Yanqiu Jiaxi, I Am Sister and other book friends for their rewards~
Good night today (I can't see any comments on the front desk, so lonely_(:з」∠)_It seems like I'm playing a single-player game)