Wei Ni

The next day, it was nearly noon.

Zhang Hu and Qian Hong, each with a few followers, rushed to the outpost military camp on Jieshi Mountain.

They are all people who have met before and got along quite well with each other. When they meet again, they will definitely spend some time reminiscing about the past.

After a simple banquet, Xiahou Hui, feeling that time was running out, led them into the main tent. As soon as they sat down, he gestured to Gongsun Yi to tell him about the situation of the Xianbei Duan Rilujuan's settlement in the vassal state of Liaodong.

In response to this, Zhang Hu and Qian Hong, who had vaguely guessed what Xiahou Hui was going to do, had somewhat different reactions.

Qian Hong was a little excited, and his eagerness to try was evident in his expression; while Zhang Hu frowned slightly, his face looked a little solemn, as if he had a different opinion on the matter.

"General, everyone, this is roughly the situation of the Duanri Lu clan settlement."

After talking for a while, Gongsun Yi smiled and bowed to everyone, "When my White Horse Volunteers were patrolling, about 40 people sneaked close to the settlement three miles away to take a look. They can all serve as guides."

"Well, thank you."

Nodding at Gongsun Yi, Xiahou Hui cast his eyes on Zhang Hu and Qian Hong, and said slowly, "When Duan Rilujuan came from Yuyang County to Liaodong, he had only four or five followers, but in just a few years he already had hundreds of cavalry. It is obvious that he is not an ordinary person, and I want to destroy him. Well, just kill him and his brother Duan Qizhen, and bring back as many of the rest of the clan members as possible to register them. Gongben, Shiyi, if I let you two lead the troops, are you sure you can kill them?"

"Just wait for the general's order, and I will do my best to fulfill it!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Hong immediately stood up and spoke generously, "Although Duan Rilujuan is not an ordinary person, his current power is weak and cannot match the bravery of our Wuhuan cavalry. We can definitely defeat him in one battle! And the general does not need to worry about him escaping. If we fight, I will let my cavalrymen, without military uniforms, surround him in a fan-shaped formation of 100 people each. We will attack him after we find Duan Rilujuan and his brother in person. In this way, he will surrender on the spot and there will not be too much killing."

"Yeah, very good."

Xiahou Hui praised with great satisfaction and smiled brightly.

He likes subordinates who obey his orders and do whatever he is told the most.

Without questioning the general's orders or considering other factors, he can directly make combat suggestions based on the general's plan.

Moreover, his battle suggestion is quite good.

Perhaps it was because he had stayed in the Hetao Plain for a long time with Tian Yu, so he was very familiar with the customs and temperament of the Zahu tribes.

"General, as Shi Yi said, I will also issue a military order."

Zhang Hu was much calmer. He looked calm and said in a calm voice, "I just want to ask General Rong to stop talking. Duan Rilujuan has not caused any trouble on the border or killed any merchant caravans. If we kill him rashly, it may cause the miscellaneous Hu tribes outside the border to turn against our army. Moreover, Changli County is not far from Liaosui, and I am worried that it will alert Gongsun the thief."

really!

Gong Ben still tried to dissuade me~
Xiahou Hui, who had vaguely anticipated this, said this to himself.

It's not that I think Zhang Hu is noisy and meddlesome, but I know that he had served in the central army in Luoyang in his early years, and had also served for a year or two under Wang Xiong, who advocated appeasement of the miscellaneous Hu tribes. He was used to being cautious in his official career, so it was inevitable that he would speak out the pros and cons.

After all, he had good intentions.

Therefore, Xiahou Hui was not surprised. Instead, he nodded slightly and said solemnly, "Gong Ben's concerns are not unreasonable. However, from Yuguan to Liaosui, during my tenure in Youzhou, no mixed Hu settlements are allowed to exist. Duan Rilu's relatives are blocking the road, so they should be killed."

Clear up Bankaido?
Is the imperial court going to take action against Gongsun Yuan of Liaodong so soon?

Zhang Hu, who had long guessed from Guanqiu Jian's frequent military reorganization that the imperial court would conquer Liaodong, was suddenly startled when he heard this. He also hurriedly bowed and said with a happy face, "Yes! If I let Duan Rilu's family escape, bring their heads to me!"

Because he had been looking forward to the imperial government's attack on Liaodong for a long time.

Previously, he asked Emperor Cao Rui to send him to the frontier, hoping to have more opportunities to fight and make achievements.
"okay."

Nodding, Xiahou Hui formally ordered, "I will lead the White Horse Volunteers to Liaoze the next day, but I will leave a hundred volunteers as guides. You two can discuss how to proceed, and I will not interfere. But within one month, I want to get the victory report that Duan Rilu and his brother have surrendered and their people have been relocated to Guzhu City."

"only."

"Time is running out. I won't keep you any longer. Go back and lead your troops."

"Wei. I will retire at the end."

The two men accepted the order loudly, bowed, and then turned around and left.

Gongsun Yi also stood up and saluted, "General, I will go and ask Yi Cong to pack their bags and prepare dry food first."

"Okay, let's go."

When Xiahou Hui and Ding Mi were the only ones left in the big tent, Ding Mi shook his head with some regret, "It's just as Zhiquan said, Qian Shiyi can be taken as a confidant, but Zhang Gongben can be approached but not won over."

"Haha~"

Xiahou Hui smiled but said nothing.

This was a continuation of their conversation yesterday - Ding Mi also took the opportunity to ask, Qian Hong and Zhang Hu, the two generals who were temporarily under Xiahou Hui's command, who would be willing to promote them and make them his confidants.

In this regard, Xiahou Hui blurted out that it was Qian Hong. Not only because Qian Hong had helped him make a living by trading horses, but also because Zhang Hu and Qian Hong's fathers were completely different.

As generals who both defected to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao, Zhang Liao was trusted and respected, and his achievements were worthwhile; but Qian Zhao, because he had a sworn brotherhood with Liu Bei, the lord of Shu, was only a county governor in his life and did not fully realize his talents.

It is impossible to say that Qian Hong has no feelings of injustice for his parents.

Therefore, as long as Xiahou Hui treated him with generous courtesy and sincere trust, he would be willing to serve him based on his father's experience.

But Zhang Hu is different.

Zhang Liao was known as the country's lackey. After Yu Jin's late life, he became the most recognized general of a foreign surname in Wei. Therefore, Zhang Hu's lifelong struggle was to serve the monarch of Wei until his death and not to bring disgrace upon his father's reputation.

The two people have different starting points, so their choices are naturally different.

"By the way, Zhiquan."

Ding Mi, who was just sighing, quickly put away his regrets and said bluntly, "Why not let Jun Sheng take the Lu family's troops to stay with Qian Shiyi. Jun Sheng is impatient with paperwork and likes to be a general. It would be detrimental to his training if he is always under the protection of Zhiquan."

"Um"

Hearing this, Xiahou Hui snorted slightly and did not answer immediately.

He knew that Ding Mi's suggestion was not as simple as letting Lu Fan join the army for training.

Moreover, because Qian Hong was in charge of the Wuhuan cavalry, and was also directly under the command of Guanqiu Jian, the commander of the Wuhuan Guard, he would be stationed in Youzhou in the future.

In this way, Ding Mi's hidden intention becomes clear at a glance.

He simply wanted to test Guanqiu Jian to see whether he would request an official position for Lu Fan after knowing the news, whether this official position was important, etc., in order to measure the extent of their future involvement.

But Xiahou Hui felt that Lu Fan was still young.

In addition, Qian Hong was not very thoughtful and acted too decisively, so Lu Fan would definitely not learn as much by following him as he would by following himself.

"The young bird will eventually fly on its own."

Perhaps guessing Xiahou Hui's concerns, Ding Mi persuaded him again, "Now Zhiquan is the main general of the Liaodong expedition, and he is in charge of Qian Shiyi. Junsheng will also be taken care of after he goes there, and there is no need for him to be in danger. This is a good opportunity for him to observe the Liaodong war from the perspective of a general. If he misses it, he may not have another chance. Moreover, if he stays with Zhiquan for too long, his horizons will become higher, and he may find it difficult to understand the hardships of the soldiers in the future."

"Well, let's follow Yan Jing's advice."

Xiahou Hui was convinced and finally agreed. He changed the topic and said, "I am going to Liaoze to survey the terrain. I can't tell when I will be back. I may come back in a month or so. I would like Yan Jing to take care of the affairs here. If Guanqiu Envoy writes to me, if Yan Jing can make a decision, please reply to him on my behalf. If not, please claim that I have not returned yet and delay. Also, Han Yuncong, Zuo Junbo, Wei Yangyuan and others may return earlier than me. Yan Jing will take care of them on my behalf."

"Well, Zhiquan, don't worry. Be careful on the road."

"it is good."

The next day, early morning.

The clouds covering the mountains and the sea had not yet dispersed, and the dawn glow still lingered on the skyline. Xiahou Hui, led by Gongsun Yi and more than a hundred white horse volunteers, set out on the journey northward, riding a horse loaded with dry food.

The journey was quite long, about four or five hundred (Han) miles, so the number of volunteers accompanying them seemed a little small.

You know, after setting foot on the Bankai Road, the road all the way to Liaosui on the east side of the Liao River is now a deserted place without any restrictions. As long as the strength allows, killing, robbing, raping and looting can be done at will.

For this reason, Ding Mi also advised that for safety reasons, Xiahou Hui should bring more troops with him.

But Xiahou Hui refused.

He just patted Gongsun Yi's shoulder and smiled, "I have more than a hundred white horse volunteers following me. Youzhou is so big that I can go anywhere!"

Gongsun Yi was so moved that he was speechless on the spot.

He almost swore to Ding Mi that he would protect Xiahou Hui and bring him back safely.

After all, with Xiahou Hui's current official position and status, only King Cao Yu of Yan and Governor Guanqiu Jian can be compared in Youzhou. And he still dared to risk his life to trust Gongsun Yi. No one would remain indifferent if they were to such an operation.

However, what Gongsun Yi didn't know was that after he went to urge the White Horse Volunteers to prepare, Ding Mi praised Xiahou Hui and said, "In terms of winning the hearts of frontier men, Zhiquan is a master at it!"

cough!
The low-lying Bankaido is very difficult to walk on.

Even after the rainy season, when there is no sea water flooding the road, there are still many small lakes, swamps and streams winding down from the mountains along the way, making it impossible to ride a horse fast.

Fortunately, with the coming and going of caravans over the years, there are no more fallen trees, fallen rocks, etc. blocking the road.

But even so, Xiahou Hui and his party still walked very slowly.

All the members were elite scouts, and it took them eleven days to get out. They saw the Yiwulv Mountain running north and south, and also smelled the faint smell of decay in Liaoze. (End of this chapter)