Three Kingdoms: I will act as a substitute for the Hunjun

Chapter 144 Liu Ming returns to the army

As expected, the Huns cavalry did not attack the city. They burned, killed, and looted for a while outside Luoyang City. They terrorized the city for a long time. When they saw that the defenders were unmoved, they rushed northward like a gust of wind.

Finally disappeared.

Yuan Wei, Yang Biao, Jian Shuo, Lu Zhi and other important officials gathered in the tower to discuss matters urgently.

The matter was urgent and related to the survival of Kyoto and even the Han Dynasty. These giants did not dare to neglect and put aside their prejudices against each other.

It had been a long time since the last court meeting. Unexpectedly, without His Majesty present, these giants of the court had no choice but to gather together when the Huns were approaching the city.

"The Huns soldiers are obviously not here to attack the city, so what are they here for?" Jian Shuo was the first to speak, "Is it just to plunder? Just to show their majesty?"

"The most important thing now is to find out how your Majesty is doing?" Lu Zhi said loudly, "This is related to the country and the country of the Han Dynasty, and it is the top priority at the moment."

Lu Zhi was actually very anxious about the emperor's whereabouts, but at this point, there was nothing he could do about it.

Yang Biao said thoughtfully: "What Ziqian said is true. If something unexpected happens to Your Majesty, the world will be in chaos. If Your Majesty only defeats Hanoi, then it is not ruled out that there will be Baibo bandits and Black Mountain bandits following the Xiongnu soldiers. , advancing towards Luoyang."

When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but feel their hearts heavy.

The world is already chaotic enough. If something happens to the emperor again, chaos will inevitably occur and the Han Dynasty will fall apart. Even the hundreds of years of Han Dynasty may have problems.

Even if we take a step back and say that the emperor is fine, but Hanoi is defeated, the Baibo bandits and the Black Mountain bandits will never give up. The Huns soldiers are sentinels, and large groups of bandits will inevitably follow.

"The top priority is to find out His Majesty's whereabouts, and secondly to mobilize soldiers and horses to defend Kyoto. Currently, there are still too few soldiers and horses in Luoyang City." Yuan Wei said worriedly, "We are not sure how many thieves there will be behind us. .”

"My general has sent many troops to Hanoi to investigate His Majesty's situation. We have also mobilized Sun Jian and Yuan Shu to lead troops back to Luoyang to aid." Jian Shuo said, "But...it is said that the total number of Baibo bandits and Black Mountain bandits is nearly 100,000. People, even if Sun Jian and Yuan Shu return to the rescue, there is no guarantee of victory. There is a huge difference in the number of people. Should we...should we summon the princes from all over the world to bring their troops to the capital to defend the safety of the capital?"

"This proposal is inappropriate!" Lu Zhi was the first to express his objection, "The former general He Jin ordered Dong Zhuo to lead troops to the capital, which has already caused a catastrophe. Dong Zhuo rebelled and caused devastation to all living beings. Now he wants to call all the princes from all over the world to lead troops to the capital? You guys should learn some lessons."

Jian Shuo's face turned green and red. Strictly speaking, Dong Zhuo's arrival in the capital was his order in the name of the emperor. He was the one who finally facilitated this incident. It can also be said to be one of his biggest failures.

He has now figured out the whole story. In fact, both he and He Jin fell into Yuan Wei's scheme. He Jin was dead, but Jian Shuo was still a powerful official. Therefore, the courtiers were more cautious when discussing Dong Zhuo's visit to Beijing. The blame was placed on He Jin's head, but Yuan Wei and Jian Shuo, who were involved, both knew what was going on.

Thinking of this, he glanced at Yuan Wei and found that Yuan Wei was also looking at him.

The two of them now get along quite well because of the Yuan family's first submission and money paving the way. However, when someone uncovers old scars, Jian Shuo feels that this old man Yuan is still a bit disgusting.

Yuan Wei saw Jian Shuo's unkind expression and said, "Luoyang is indeed short of troops now. There is no other way to mobilize soldiers and horses from all over the world. It's just that Your Majesty is not in the court now. Such a big event requires His Majesty's decree. We will wait for it." How can a minister be good at mobilizing troops and horses?"

This speech was equivalent to appeasing Jian Shuo and Lu Zhi at the same time.

Jian Shuo frowned. The more critical this moment was, the more he felt the value of the substitute. If the substitute was still in the palace, Jian Shuo could give orders in the name of the emperor at any time.

Especially now that the substitute's life and death are unknown, it will also be a severe test for his next plan.

He suddenly regretted letting the substitute go to "conquer in person". Wasn't this just causing trouble for himself?

But where are you now? Let me tell you whether you are dead or alive!

……

In Wen County, Liu Ming, civil servants and generals gathered together. Everyone was in a good mood because they found out the whereabouts of Mrs. Guo and Zhang Yan.

Zhang Yan fled back to Heishan with more than 10,000 remaining troops. Guo Tai first fled to Yewang County to collect his old troops, but he also fled into Heishan.

"The troops under the combined command of Mrs. Guo and Zhang Yan are probably not as many as the troops that Zhang Yan brought out from Heishan." Liu Ming said with a smile, "These two thieves are not something to be afraid of, let alone them gathered together. Montenegro, I’m afraid eating will be a problem this winter.”

"Report! The latest news about the thief!" Suddenly a detective came to report, "Mrs. Guo and Zhang Yan are fighting in Heishan!"

"what!?"

Everyone was stunned, what is going on? Is this a fight?

"Tell me what's going on?" Gai Xun asked, "Do you know why they are fighting together?"

"The reason for the war has not yet been ascertained." Tan Ma reported back, "Currently we only know that Guo Taizai led the Baibo thieves to storm the Black Mountain camp."

"This is not a small friction, but a full-scale war." Ding Yuan said thoughtfully, "Is it because of the competition for territory? But no matter what the reason for their war, now that they have found out where the Black Mountain bandits are stronghold, Your Majesty should urgently mobilize troops and horses to encircle and suppress them and catch them all."

Zhang Yan has been entrenched in Heishan for a long time, but the army has never been able to find its main stronghold, so repeated annihilations have had little effect. Now that the two waves of thieves have taken action, exposing their hiding place, it is time to take advantage of the opportunity to advance.

"It's true that a dog bites a dog," Liu Ming said with a smile, "Let them fight first. Now that the officers and soldiers have passed, they will only stop fighting and fight against the outside world. It is better to wait for them to fight and both lose, and then reap the benefits. .”

"Your Majesty is wise!" Gai Xun flattered him and said, "The Baibo bandits and the Black Mountain bandits are no longer something to be afraid of. The biggest threat at present is Dong Zhuo from Hedong. We still need to find out where the disappeared Huns soldiers and bandits from the south are. "

Liu Ming nodded.

Dong Zhuo is far from comparable to the Baibo bandits and the Black Mountain bandits in terms of danger and combat strength. Of course, it is more difficult to eliminate them.

"Let's rest in Wen County first and replenish supplies." Liu Mingdao said, "The young and strong prisoners captured by the thieves must be trained as soon as possible to form combat effectiveness as soon as possible in preparation for the next battle with Dong Zhuo."

At this moment, the flag officer came in and reported, "Your Majesty, there is a messenger from the capital asking for an audience. Do you want to summon him?"

A messenger from Luoyang? I don’t know who sent it.

Liu Ming nodded, "Invite him to come in."

After the messenger came in, he knelt down and said loudly: "Your Majesty, something bad has happened. The Huns are attacking Luoyang. General Jian Shuo asks your Majesty to return to the capital as soon as possible to protect the capital!"

what? !

Everyone was dumbfounded when they heard this. They never expected that the bandit soldiers going south would go directly to attack Luoyang.

Everyone immediately started talking.

"Your Majesty, Kyoto is an important place for the country and must be taken seriously." Cao Cao said, "Send troops immediately to rescue us!" "Hun soldiers are attacking Luoyang?" Liu Ming frowned, "Are they just Hun soldiers? Are there any other thieves?"

"This... I don't know." Tan Ma said, "General Jian told me this. When I left Luoyang, the Huns soldiers were calling for formation outside the city. I didn't see whether there were other soldiers or horses."

At this moment, another messenger came, another messenger sent by Jian Shuo, and his words were basically the same as the last one.

After a while, another messenger came.

Only then did everyone understand that the Xiongnu troops were approaching Luoyang. Jian Shuo and the ministers in the court did not know the emperor's current situation, so they sent many people to look for the emperor.

A total of five groups of troops were dispatched, but only three of them arrived in Wen County. The remaining two did not know whether they ran in the wrong direction or encountered some accident.

"In other words, none of you heard or saw the thieves attacking the city?" Liu Ming asked.

"That's right." The three replied.

"And Jian Shuo only told you about the Huns soldiers and did not mention other thieves?" Liu Ming continued.

"Exactly." The three replied.

Wen County Magistrate Kuai Yue said: "It cannot be ruled out that the cavalry arrived first, and the thieves and infantry arrived later."

This is also a possibility.

There are 45,000 Baibo bandits, Black Mountain bandits and Huns cavalry, who raid Luoyang. It is really possible to take down this central city. Of course, the premise is that the generals defending the city are too incompetent.

"Send scouts immediately to Luoyang. I need accurate information." Liu Ming ordered. It is an urgent matter now and there is no room for sloppiness. On the battlefield, information asymmetry is often fatal.

Luoyang is not too far from Wenxian County. Since the Yellow River can no longer be an obstacle, it will not be troublesome for Kuai Ma to find out the intelligence of the two places.

Immediately, Gai Xun immediately sent scouts to conduct reconnaissance.

"In any case, the thieves have arrived in Luoyang, and the courtiers are looking forward to my return to take charge of the overall situation." Liu Ming pondered for a moment and said, "Gai Xun obeys the order!"

"I'm here!" Gai Xun stood up and clasped his fists.

"I ordered you to coordinate all the military forces in Hanoi and stay in Wen County to deal with Dong Zhuo's invasion. Ding Yuan, Cao Cao, Liu Biao, and Xu Huang all stayed behind and obeyed Gai Xun's orders!"

"I obey the decree!" Several people clasped their fists to accept the decree.

Liu Ming continued to warn: "We must not only guard against Dong Zhuo, but also keep an eye on the war in Montenegro. If there is an opportunity, we can directly send troops to destroy him. When necessary, cooperate with Zhu Jun, the prefect of Hanoi."

"I will lead the three brothers Liu, Guan, and Zhang, as well as Fengxian and Wenyuan, to return to the capital to aid. We will set off tomorrow."

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Lu Bu, and Zhang Liao all lined up and held their fists to receive the order.

"Your Majesty will inevitably encounter risks along the way back to Beijing this time. We can't do it without cavalry." Liu Biao said, "We will mainly defend Wen County. The cavalry is of little use. It would be better for your Majesty to take away the cavalry from the Yueqi Camp and the Tunqi Camp." Return to the capital to aid."

"What Jing Sheng said is absolutely true," Gai Xun said. "If the thieves really attack the city, a fierce battle will be inevitable. It is impossible without cavalry."

Liu Ming shook his head with a smile and said: "Xuande has three hundred black horse loyal followers, and Wen Yuan has eight hundred Bingzhou wolf cavalry. These cavalry are enough to deal with thieves like Bai Bo and Heishan, but you, if Dong Zhuo Invasion cannot be separated from the cavalry, so the matter is settled."

There was nothing to say all night, and early the next morning, Liu Ming set out with everyone. There were about 3,000 cavalry and infantry in total.

With the experience of fighting against the enemy in Hanoi, he believed that as long as the strong city of Luoyang was properly defended, it would not be a big problem to fight against the Baibo and Heishan bandits. Moreover, Zhang Yan and Guo Tai were still attacking each other in Heishan, so they sent them to Luoyang. How much coordination can Yang's soldiers and horses have?

So the army crossed the Yellow River and continued to march south.

In the evening, Zhang Liao, who was the vanguard, sent someone back to report that the terrain ahead was steep and not suitable for traveling at night. He suggested setting up camp on the spot and marching after dawn.

Liu Ming looked at the sun that was about to set and the mountains in front of him. To be on the safe side, he ordered the army to set up camp immediately.

Among the mountains, Yang Feng, the commander of the Baibo bandit, and Huang Long, the commander of the Black Mountain bandit, stood side by side, looking at the army camp at the foot of the mountain.

Huang Long's complexion was sallow, like a patient. He looked malnourished at first glance. He slapped his thigh bitterly and said, "Damn it, the officers and soldiers didn't enter the ambush."

"I don't know if the Dog Emperor is among them." Yang Feng said thoughtfully, "If there is no Dog Emperor among them, we'd better not alert the enemy. Otherwise, all our efforts will be wasted."

"Then we can't just watch the dog officers spend the night comfortably, let alone allow them to pass safely." Huang Long said with a stern look on his face, "I propose to attack the camp tonight, and the generals and troops will be dealt with in one fell swoop."

"Inappropriate!" Yang Feng immediately objected, "If this is just the outpost of the Dog Emperor, and the army's troops are behind, wouldn't it be equivalent to giving the other party an early warning?"

"Then what do you think we should do?" Huang Long spread his hands and asked.

"How about this, after nightfall, first send out scout horses to look around. If we don't see the follow-up people by the Yellow River, then we can take action." Yang Feng said, "It's best to check in advance to see if there is a Dog Emperor among them. "

After several interactions with the army, Yang Feng became very cautious. He knew that this dog emperor was not easy to mess with, and he also had a group of generals under his command who were capable of fighting.

For example, the feared Lu Bu is one of them. If you rush in without knowing the enemy's situation, you may not get any good results, and you may lose a few kilograms of meat.

Liu Ming's return to Luoyang this time could not be carried out with much fanfare. Not only did he not show off the emperor's support, he even rolled up all kinds of flags.

Without knowing the movements of tens of thousands of enemies, how dare he, the emperor, dare to show off? If he can keep a low profile, he should keep a low profile.

As soon as the camp was set up, a scout reported that he had discovered the Huns' camp on the other side of the mountain.

"The Huns camped here?" Liu Ming frowned, "So they didn't attack Luoyang at all. Not only did the Huns cavalry not attack, but I'm afraid the Black Mountain bandits and the Baibo bandits didn't attack either. Otherwise, it would be impossible for the Huns soldiers to abandon them and withdraw. .”

So, Luoyang is safe and sound.

However, this place for camping seems to be a bit too far from Luoyang, which is not conducive to the next attack.

So what exactly are these thieves planning?

(End of this chapter)