At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 347 Generous Reward

"Boom boom boom!"

"Boom boom boom!"

"Boom boom boom!"

Zhou Qi stood on the city wall and personally beat drums to cheer for Ma Chao, which greatly boosted the morale of the Jingzhou army.

Yuan Jun looked at the flag that belonged to Zhou Qi on the city wall, and immediately there were crossbowmen and catapults heading towards Zhou Qi's position to greet him.

Fortunately, with Gao Shun leading the trapped camp to protect him, Zhou Qi was as stable as Mount Tai.

The gap in the city wall.

Originally there were two fierce generals, Huang Zhong and Gan Ning. Even though Yuan Jun, led by Wen Chou, charged forward one after another, it was still difficult to cross the gap.

However, as Ju Yi led the troops to enter the camp and join the battlefield, the casualties of the Jingzhou Army increased significantly.

Zhuge Liang, who was looking at the overall situation, hurriedly asked Yan Yan to lead the Bancheng barbarians to support.

However, Ma Chao was not afraid at all. He led his few thousand Qiang cavalry to charge left and right, killing several generals in a row, and none of Yuan's generals could stop them.

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Qi rewarded Yuan Shao with a thousand gold coins and the title of Wanhuhou, offering a reward for Yuan Shao's head.

"I am the King of Chu. All the officers and men will follow me out of the city to kill the enemy. Anyone who captures Yuan Shao's head will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins and be granted the title of Marquis of ten thousand households!"

"Although Meng Qi killed Yan Liang, our army will still be at a disadvantage."

During this period, Yuan's army besieged Fancheng, and Yan Liang was showing off his power under the city. It was not that the Jingzhou generals were so angry that they left the city to fight with them. However, except for Huang Zhong, all the generals were no match for Yan Liang.

There was only one fight with Yan Liang, and it was only a 50-50 draw. In the end, when Yan Liang was at a disadvantage, he relied on his superb riding skills to escape from the battlefield, so Huang Zhong did not get any favors.

Although these two sentences are very simple, the previous sentence clearly states that Ma Chao killed Yan Liang among the thousands of troops. This sentence can not only boost the morale of the Chu army, but also make Yuan Jun feel panic.

This move may seem naive and impossible, but it will also give the soldiers of the Chu State the illusion that the defeat of Yuan's army is certain, and Yuan Shao's life may be in danger. Otherwise, how could His Highness the King of Chu personally go out of the city to kill the enemy, and even plan to offer a reward? Yuan Shao's head?

Just two sentences boosted the morale of the Chu army. Yuan Jun, who was still kept in the dark, knew the news of Yan Liang's murder, and then his morale plummeted.

After speaking, Zhou Qi immediately shouted loudly: "General Ma Chao is so brave that he rides his horse to stab Yan Liang in the midst of thousands of troops. No other general in Shao can do it."

With Zhuge Liang's intelligence, he soon knew that the turning point in the Battle of Fancheng was coming.

Although Yuan Shao was a little annoyed that Yan Liang underestimated the enemy, he also knew that if Ma Chao was allowed to return to the city with Yan Liang's head at this time, it would definitely have a devastating blow to the morale of Yuan's army.

He did not expect that Yan Liang, who was so brave and domineering, would be stabbed to death by Ma Chao just after meeting him.

Even Zhuge Liang, who had always been calm and composed, was stunned to see that Ma Chao was so brave and could actually kill Yan Liang in the midst of thousands of troops.

Zhuge Liang was shocked when he heard this and said: "The son of a rich man cannot sit down in court. My lord is the king of Chu, so he should take charge of the battle and command the army on the city. As for going out to fight in the city, just send another good general!"

Sure enough, with the addition of Banchen barbarians, the battle situation at the gap in the city wall quickly stabilized, and the two sides entered a stalemate again.

After hearing Zhuge Liang's words, he immediately said: "Kong Ming is sitting in the city and leads the army to fight out alone, letting Yuan Benchu ​​know that the son of Chu State will not only defend the city!"

"All the officers and men will follow my lord to kill the enemy, capture and kill Yuan Shao, make great achievements, and make a wife and son, right now!"

The city gates are wide open.

Some of the soldiers of the Chu State who followed behind them thought that His Highness the King of Chu went out to fight in the city just for show, but they did not expect that he was actually charging at the front with real swords and spears.

Yan Liang's prestige among the Yuan army was not inferior to Dian Wei's prestige among the Chu army. Losing such a general on the battlefield would have a devastating blow to the morale of the entire army.

At this time, if the generals can be dispatched to kill Ma Chao and recapture Yan Liang's head, some morale can be restored.

Seeing that Zhuge Liang wanted to persuade him again, Zhou Qi interrupted him and said: "When it comes to coordinating the overall situation and strategizing, Kong Ming alone is not as good as Kong Ming; when it comes to fighting in front of the battle, boosting morale, and charging into battle, Kong Ming is not as good as alone!"

When Wenpin saw this, he shouted sternly: "His Royal Highness the King of Chu is so noble, but he is still brave and unafraid of death, so what should we fear?"

After Zhou Qi finished speaking, the soldiers and guards in the trapped camp immediately understood and shouted in unison, repeating these two sentences.

Yuan Jun was stunned by such a turn of events.

After seeing the flag message, the nearby generals of the Yuan army led their troops to kill Ma Chao.

At this moment, Ma Chao, who led a thousand cavalry out of the city to fight, ran straight towards Yan Liang's banner and beheaded Yan Liang under his horse just by looking at him.

The Banzhen barbarians were exceptionally brave, and almost all of them carried shields, so they were able to restrain themselves from entering the camp first.

Zhou Qi is also a veteran on the battlefield. How could he not see this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

Immediately afterwards, a strong sense of shame came into his heart, and Yuan Shao immediately shouted sharply: "Order the nearby generals to intercept Ma Chao, and be sure to take back Yan Liang's head!"

But it was said that Ma Chao stabbed Yan Liang to death with one shot, then drew his sword, beheaded his head and hung it on his horse.

Zhou Qi, protected by his personal guards and trapped camp, was like a sharp knife, ruthlessly tearing open Yuan Jun's line.

But Zhou Qi laughed and said: "I joined the army before I was even crowned. During this period, I went through countless battles, big and small. I am not as delicate as Kong Ming imagined."

On the walls of Fancheng.

"As the king of Chu alone, if I could personally attend the battle, all the soldiers would be willing to die."

When these two sentences spread throughout the battlefield, the morale of the Chu army was greatly boosted.

He hurriedly came to Zhou Qi's side and said: "Ma Meng's power is unparalleled, and he stabs Yan Liang under the horse. This move greatly boosts the power of the army."

"As for safety issues, Kong Ming doesn't need to worry too much. With Lord Dian guarding him, and Gao Shun's two thousand trapped camp, who can hurt me?"

Especially Yuan Shao, who was paying close attention to the situation on the battlefield, his eyes were full of disbelief. He did not expect that his most powerful general would be killed so easily among thousands of troops.

Although Huang Zhong is brave, as Fancheng's Dinghai Shenzhen, he cannot just go out of the city to fight.

"In Yiliang's humble opinion, we should open the city gates wide at this time and lead the troops and horses in the city to fight out with all our strength. We will definitely be able to turn the tide of the war in one battle!"

"kill!"

"Kill!"

"Capture and kill Yuan Shao!"

Wenpin's words completely ignited the Chu army's fighting spirit. They all shouted at the top of their lungs and followed Zhou Qi to fight hard.

In the age of cold weapons, morale played an extremely important role, and could even determine the outcome of a war.

Under this situation, Yuan Jun's morale was shaken because Yan Liang was killed among thousands of troops. At this time, he heard the cries of Yuan Shao being captured and killed. Most of Yuan's soldiers subconsciously believed that Yuan Jun might really be defeated. Already?

If not, how could the Chu army have the confidence to capture and kill Zhao Emperor Yuan Shao? The defeat of Yuan's army outside the city also affected Wen Chou, who was fighting at the gap in the city wall. Even the Xiandeng camp, known as the elite of Hebei, was a little panicked when they heard the news of Yan Liang's death in battle.

Huang Zhong, Gan Ning, and Yan Yan took the opportunity to fight hard.

Wen Chou and Ju Yi were defeated, and they were worried that Zhou Qi, who had rushed out of the city, would lead his troops to surround them and join forces with Huang Zhong and others to surround and kill them, so they had to lead their troops to retreat.

Huang Zhong, Yan Yan and Gan Ning took the opportunity to cover up the killing.

On the chariot, Yuan Shao looked at the rapidly changing battlefield, his expression becoming extremely gloomy.

Fortunately, Yuan's troops were outnumbered and the defeat on the battlefield was nothing.

He immediately turned to Gao Lan and said: "Continue to mobilize troops and horses into the battlefield, and send out a team to supervise the battle. Anyone who dares to retreat without permission will be dealt with according to the military law!"

Having said this, Yuan Shao looked at the battle flag that was advancing on the battlefield and shouted sternly: "Hang up my dragon flag and order the Chinese army to follow me into the battlefield!"

"War is dangerous. Your Majesty is the most powerful person in the world. How can you put yourself in danger?"

When Zuo Zuo heard this, he was shocked and hurriedly advised him.

Yuan Shao shouted sternly: "In the battle of Jieqiao, if I hadn't fought to the death, I would have been defeated by Gongsun Zan!"

"Today Zhou Ziyi dares to personally lead the charge, how can I be willing to be behind others?"

"Whoever sends my military order to behead Zhou Qi will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins, and will be granted the title of Marquis of ten thousand households. The title will be hereditary and will not be replaced!"

"Those who bravely kill the enemy will be rewarded generously; those who are afraid of the enemy's retreat will be killed without mercy!"

It has to be said that Yuan Shao does not lack courage, especially in critical moments, which can inspire the fierceness hidden in Yuan Shao's bones.

Yuan Shao's response method is indeed impeccable.

If he chooses to give in at this time, even if Yuan Jun will not be completely defeated in this battle, he will definitely lose a layer of skin.

The most important thing is that if Yuan Jun is defeated in this battle, coupled with Yan Liang's loss, it will definitely be a devastating blow to Yuan Jun's morale, and it is destined that Yuan Shao's southern expedition will be in vain.

Yuan Shao felt that his body was getting worse day by day. If he couldn't take this opportunity to defeat Zhou Qi, he might really have no chance in the future.

It was precisely because of this obsession in his heart that Yuan Shao chose to fight to the death even when Yan Liang was beheaded and Yuan Jun was already at a disadvantage.

In fact, Yuan Shao did this because he had the confidence.

After all, Yuan Jun has a large number of people. As long as the battle situation can be stabilized, as more and more Yuan Jun joins the battlefield, this kind of fighting will be beneficial to Yuan Jun.

as predicted.

As Yuan Shao personally led the troops into battle and began to offer a reward for Zhou Qi's head, Yuan Jun's officers and soldiers, who were still a little panicked, gradually stabilized their morale.

Moreover, as a steady stream of Yuan troops joined the battlefield, the Chu army's offensive was gradually blocked, and the two sides began to fight fiercely.

The battle lasted until nightfall, with both sides suffering casualties. Generally speaking, Yuan's army suffered significantly more casualties because it was just the beginning of Yuan's army's defeat.

Seeing that the sky was getting dark and the two sides had been fighting for nearly a day, the soldiers were all exhausted, so they paid their dues and retreated.

In this battle, Yuan's army lost General Yan Liang, and also suffered a lot of losses in troops and horses. Fortunately, Yuan Shao stabilized the battle situation after personally taking action, blocking the powerful offensive of Chu's army, and somewhat restored some morale.

For the Chu army, this battle not only killed Yan Liang, a famous general in Hebei, but also boosted the morale of the soldiers who had been huddled in the city for a long time and were scolded so hard that they could not hold their heads up.

It can be expected that after this battle, the soldiers' fear of Yuan Jun will no longer exist.

After withdrawing his troops, Zhou Qi ordered people to reward the three armies, especially the meritorious soldiers who fought bravely to kill the enemy.

Money should be rewarded, and promotion should be promoted.

With the help of Zhuge Liang's powerful dispatching ability, those soldiers who died or were injured were properly placed.

After the reward, the morale of the officers and soldiers in the city was greatly boosted, and they all shouted long live.

Zhou Qi finally left Fancheng with Dian Wei, Ma Chao and others and returned to Xiangyang.

After returning to the Prince of Chu's Mansion, Zhou Qi summoned his subordinate Wen Wu and told everyone the details of the Battle of Fancheng during the day. Then he pulled Ma Chao to his side and said to everyone: "This battle can be won, and Meng Qi should be the first to win!"

"Meng Qi is able to ride his horse, thrust Liang Liang into the crowd, and behead him before he can do it. None of the generals in Shao can do that. He is truly an enemy of ten thousand people!"

After everyone heard Ma Chao's glorious deeds, they all gave up their previous contempt for the surrendered general. Instead, they all stepped forward to congratulate Ma Chao. The closeness was self-evident.

Ma Chao was alone in the Chu State at this time, so naturally he would not offend these civil and military officials, and he responded to everyone humbly and politely.

After everyone had finished their congratulations, Zhou Qi raised his hand to signal for silence, then looked around at the crowd and said, "Meng Qi's power is unparalleled. In this battle, he beheaded Yan Liang in the midst of thousands of armies and promoted the power of our country of Chu. I want to worship Meng Qi as my ruler." General Xi has been given the title of Marquis of Zhexiang, what do you think?"

After saying this, everyone was shocked, even Ma Chao.

This kind of reward can even make Ma Chao become the most prominent first-tier military general in Chu State, and his status is even as high as Dian Wei, Xu Chu, Huang Zhong and others.

Although Ma Chao proved his bravery in this battle and indeed made a great contribution by killing Yan Liang, this reward was obviously a bit high, and many generals were naturally dissatisfied.

Looking at the expressions of everyone, Zhou Qi said calmly: "Meng Qi comes from a well-known family. He is a descendant of General Fubo Ma Yuan. His father served as General Zhenxi, and he gave Meng such an official position. Let him inherit Ma Shoucheng’s legacy!”

After everyone heard this, they suddenly realized, and the resistance in their hearts suddenly became much smaller.

If Ma Chao was from a grassroots background, even if he made great achievements, many people would be dissatisfied with such a generous reward.

However, considering that Ma Chao came from a family of generals, and Ma Teng had previously served as General Zhenxi, giving Ma Chao such a reward was not only a reward for his merits, but also allowed Ma Chao to inherit the legacy of the family.

Seeing that everyone's expressions softened slightly, Zhou Qi gently stroked his beard and said: "Meng Qi is alone now. The daughter is only twelve years old and has reached the age of marriage. Meng Qi is young and promising, and has a talented appearance. He wants to betroth his daughter to Meng Qi. , let the two of you make a marriage contract first, and then consummate the marriage after this battle is over, what do you think?"

Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials of Chu State suddenly changed their eyes when looking at Ma Chao.

Everyone knows that His Royal Highness the King of Chu loves his daughter very much, but now he wants to betroth her to Ma Chao.

Then it makes sense to give Ma Chao an exceptional reward.

Although troubled times are about military merit and seniority, relationships are also more important. If Ma Chao really became the son-in-law of His Royal Highness the King of Chu, no one would have any doubts about this kind of reward.

And it can be expected that Ma Chao, who has become Zhou Qi's son-in-law, will have an infinitely bright future.

(End of this chapter)