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

Chapter 167 Zhou Cang returns home and the rebels attack

When everyone heard that He Man knew the two leaders of the Yellow Turban Thieves, they all looked towards him.

He Man smiled and said: "To be honest with you, He had joined the Yellow Turban Army before, but after his defeat, he lived in the world. When he was in the Yellow Turban Army, he met the two people below. One of them was called Zhou Cang and the other was called Pei Yuanshao. Zhou Cang also served as the Yellow Turban Canal Commander, and his military force is still superior to that of He."

He Man is an infantry general who is good at wielding iron rods. Among the emperor's personal guards, his combat power even exceeds that of Shi A. This is recognized by everyone. At this moment, he said that Zhou Cang's military force is still better than his. Above, that means this person must not be an ordinary person.

"Hahahaha..." Xu Chu laughed loudly and said, "Although Zhou Cang is brave, Xu doesn't take him seriously. If Xu hadn't seen that he still had some ability, he would have killed him with a knife. Now, Whether the thief is killing or recruiting, please show me, Your Majesty!"

With the vision and combat prowess of a first-class general like Xu Chu, he naturally did not take Zhou Cang seriously, but Liu Ming was different. He was currently short of generals, especially those who were suitable for infantry warfare.

Judging from the information available in previous lives, it is uncertain whether there is a Zhou Cang in the official history, but in the novels, Zhou Cang is portrayed as a loyal and brave image, and his martial arts skills are also good.

After returning to Guan Yu, he remained loyal, and Wei general Pang De was captured by him. In the end, Guan Yu died, and Zhou Cang also committed suicide.

How can we let such a loyal and brave general go?
As for Pei Yuanshao, he was relatively miserable in the novel. He originally wanted to join Zhou Cang to join Guan Yu, but Guan Yu confiscated it. Later, Pei Yuanshao was also unlucky and went to snatch Zhao Yun's horse, but Zhao Yun killed him instantly.

"Since He Man is acquainted with him, I'll take the trouble to go over and see if I can recruit him." Liu Ming ordered, "You can tell him clearly that if he is willing to surrender to the court, then he will not be blamed for his past thief affairs. If Ling continues to do evil, the imperial army is under Mount Yao and can wipe out his lair in an instant."

"I obey!" He Man agreed, dragging his iron rod and jumping like flying, and ran down the mountain.

On this kind of mountain road, for an infantryman like him, walking is actually faster than riding a horse.

Liu Ming stood on the mountain and talked with Xu Chu.

Xu Chu was famous for his bravery, and he proudly told Liu Ming how he led his clan and surrounding strong men to defeat the Gepi bandits. In fact, Liu Ming knew all these stories, but now he wanted to give this fierce general a chance to show off his skills. .

After that, Xu Chu became the pillar of the family. It can be said that the development of the entire family is tied to him. After receiving Liu Ming's imperial edict, he went to the clan elders to discuss it.

Where could the clan elders look for such a good opportunity? If they seize this opportunity, the entire Xu family will follow the chickens and dogs to heaven. There is no reason to refuse.

So Xu Chu took more than 300 young men and women from various ethnic groups to Luoyang, the capital, the next day to follow the eunuch who passed the order. Unexpectedly, he happened to meet the emperor personally inspecting the palace in Yaoshan.

I originally thought of making a small success by recruiting Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao, so as to leave a good impression on His Majesty when they met for the first time, but now it seems that this small success is unlikely. He Man went to handle the recruitment and surrender. .

However, Xu Chu hoped that He Man's surrender would not be successful, so that the next step would be to wipe out the yellow scarf thieves, and then he would be able to show off his skills and make meritorious deeds.

But at this time, Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao were entangled at the foot of the mountain. They already knew that the man with golden helmet on the hillside was the current emperor. The purpose of their rebellion was to overthrow the emperor, and now the emperor It's right in front of you, what should you do?
Rushing to kill the emperor was their first impulse, but their reason told them that it seemed difficult to do so.

They knew in their hearts that they could not defeat the strong man named Xu. The three hundred yellow scarf brothers under his command were all sallow and thin, and their clothes were thin. And looking at the three hundred people brought by the man named Xu, one All of them are strong men, and they can't beat them if they fight against each other.

What's more, the emperor can't be surrounded by losers, he must be guarded by experts.

"Do you want me to go back to the mountain and gather all the brothers?" Pei Yuanshao asked in confusion, "There are five hundred brothers gathered together, so we can still give it a try."

The bandit's adventurous mind dominated Pei Yuanshao's thinking.

Zhou Cang thought about it and felt that there was a lot to be done. If he failed, he would have to change places and continue to be a bandit. Anyway, the world is in such chaos that he is not afraid of not being able to pull up a team.

But if he succeeds, he will be famous all over the world. When the name of Zhou Cang is mentioned in the world, no one will be allowed to praise him with a big finger!
Zhou Cang was also very moved for a moment, and was about to agree, when he saw a person running towards him on the mountain road. The closer he got, the more familiar he looked.

"He Man?" Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao looked at each other and asked in confusion, "Why is he here?"

While he was talking, He Man had already come closer, clasped his hands into fists, and laughed loudly: "Hahahaha, Lao Zhou, Lao Pei, we haven't seen each other for many years, how are you doing?"

Zhou Cang also clasped his fists and said: "Occupying mountains and falling grass, starving to death, you have seen the situation, but it is Brother He who... surrendered to the Dog Emperor?"

"Hey, we brothers started the rebellion back then, just to make ends meet." He Man said, "My younger brother is now your Majesty's personal guard, so I don't have to worry about eating and drinking, but I often think about the fact that I still don't have enough to eat and don't have enough clothes to wear." My Yellow Turban brothers, who had no strength in the past, are not arrogant now. All I need to do is say a word before His Majesty, the glory, wealth and honor of our brothers are at your fingertips..."

"What do you want to say?" Pei Yuanshao said with a cold face when he heard that the words sounded wrong.

He Man also had a hot temper. He glared and said loudly: "What shame are you giving me? Just over Yaoshan, the imperial court has 20,000 troops stationed. Your Majesty wanted to cut you off, but I saw that we met in the past. For the sake of love, I beg your Majesty to spare your lives temporarily.

"But His Majesty has a decree. If you are willing to submit to the imperial court, with your abilities, your future will definitely be better than that of He. Your brothers will also have a home and will not be short of food and clothing. If you are stubborn and insist on resisting the imperial court, , the army will destroy your stronghold immediately.

"Where to go, please think twice. If you want to die, my brothers will not stop you. It's just a pity for the brothers who have been implicated by you!"

He Man also had a loud voice, and all the hundreds of yellow scarf thieves on the mountain road heard what he said clearly, and everyone couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

This is a major matter related to their future and destiny!

"Brother Zhou, what do you think we should do?" Pei Yuanshao ran out of ideas for a moment, looked at Zhou Cang and said, "The dog court has killed many of our Yellow Turban brothers."

Zhou Cang hesitated.

He Man continued to add ingredients as soon as he saw it, and said: "Many people died in the beginning, but wasn't it just to make a living and live a better life? Now that wealth is right in front of you, why are you hesitating? If you want to die, the imperial heavenly army will As soon as you arrive, you will die immediately. If you want to survive, you will be promoted and rich soon after returning to the imperial court.

"Yesterday, a young man brought several old farmers from Chenliu to join the army. Just because he could train troops, His Majesty immediately made him the captain of the army. Many of the old farmers he brought with him also served as team leaders. Your Majesty is wise. "Employment has always been based on merit and merit." "Merit-based appointment? That's not right!" Pei Yuanshao said, "I heard that the Dog Emperor likes to sell his official position the most. Brothers, if you want to get promoted, don't you have to spend money to buy it? We can't even open the pot. Now, how can I have the money to buy an official position?"

"Hehe... what years are you talking about?" He Man said with a smile, "Now His Majesty is a rare wise king. He has strictly ordered the court not to sell his official position. You see, I was penniless at the beginning, and now I am still Didn't you become His Majesty's personal guard? The reason why buying and selling official positions was common in the past was all done by the ten permanent servants. Now that the ten permanent servants have been eliminated, the politics of the court are clear, and there will no longer be a matter of buying an official position. It only depends on what you have. No ability."

What He Man said made Zhou Cang a little excited. If he could have a stable place to stay, who would be willing to live such a miserable life of fear and failure?

The most important thing is that He Man was not as good as himself in the Yellow Turban Army before, but now he has achieved such success and won the trust of His Majesty. If he returns to the imperial court, won't he be more important?

"But... you must have some kind of meeting ceremony." Zhou Cang hesitated and said.

When He Man heard that he had the answer, he smiled and said: "The two of you are full of martial arts, and there are hundreds of brothers on the mountain. It is the best gift to meet you. Why should you abandon the good and the bad and look for something else? Look at the man who fought with you just now. That strong man is also a farmer. Just because Your Majesty heard that he has good martial arts skills, he sent someone to invite him. Why do you need any other courtesy? The best thing is when someone comes!"

"Let Zhou discuss this with the brothers." Zhou Cang said and went to discuss with Pei Yuanshao and several Yellow Turban leaders.

He Man was very satisfied with his performance today. He knew that the emperor was currently short of major generals. If Zhou Cang, Pei Yuanshao and these hundreds of Yellow Turban brothers could all return to the imperial court, then he would undoubtedly have made a great contribution.

He couldn't help but look towards the hillside where the emperor was. It didn't matter at first glance, but he was startled. He saw dust flying in the distance. It was obvious that a large army was marching rapidly towards here. However, the weather was dry and the sky was full of dust. From what he could see, Can't see clearly what's going on inside.

He saw His Majesty taking out his clairvoyance to observe where the dust rose.

Soon Liu Ming put aside his clairvoyance and Xu Zu led twenty mounted guards to gallop towards this side.

"Old Zhou, maybe I really deserve the gift of you to meet him!" He Man said loudly.

Zhou Cang hurried over, looked over there, and said, "What's going on?"

"Look over there, you don't know whether it's an enemy or a friend." He Man said, "But your Majesty has a magical thing called clairvoyance. It can see very far away and distinguish between authenticity and falsehood."

"Then...then what should we do? Please ask Brother He to teach me." Zhou Cang said hurriedly. It was an emergency and he didn't know what to do.

"Old Zhou, do you still need me to teach you? If the rebels are coming this time, wouldn't you be able to protect them?" He Man said.

Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao understood instantly.

At this time, Liu Ming galloped over with his escort and stopped directly between the young men brought by Xu Chu and the yellow scarf army.

"Who are Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao?" Liu Ming asked directly.

At this moment, the two of them had the intention of surrender. Seeing the emperor's question, they hurriedly knelt down by the roadside and said: "The grassroots are Zhou Cang/Pei Yuanshao. They are really hungry and cold, and it is difficult to make a living. That's why they gathered the refugees here to leave grass. But I have never done anything to harm the people, so please forgive me."

When Liu Ming saw the two of them surrendering, he was quite satisfied and said: "That's very good. I will not hold you accountable for anything in the past. From now on, since you submit to the imperial court, you must obey the imperial court's laws. Some of you will be promoted through meritorious service." Are you willing to wait for the opportunity?"

"The common people are willing!" Zhou Cang replied hurriedly, "There are only five hundred brothers in the village, and I hope Your Majesty will take them in as well. The brothers are grateful for Your Majesty's kindness and will surely die in return."

"That's right! Get up!" Liu Ming said with a smile, "There is an opportunity for you to make a contribution. The place where the dust is rising in front is the Nanyang rebels, more than a thousand people. Are you willing to fight with me together? ?”

More than a thousand people? Zhou Cang was a little bit confused when he heard that. He looked at the thin Yellow Turban Army and the villagers brought by Xu Zu, and then said: "The bandit army is strong. Please move to the stronghold. We will take advantage of the danger and defend it. I hope we can Retreat the enemy."

"Yes, yes." Pei Yuanshao also said, "We can defend on the mountain while sending people over the mountains to the imperial camp to notify the rescue."

"Ha..." Liu Ming sneered and said, "My subordinates, whether generals or soldiers, cannot have a single coward. Aren't there only a thousand of them? Your Yellow Turban brothers plus the Zhuang Ding brought by Zhong Kang also number six hundred. If six hundred people can't defeat a thousand people, what use do I need from you?!"

When Liu Ming said this, everyone couldn't help but feel ashamed, and then they felt a sense of pride and invincibility.

"Line up!" Liu Ming shouted.

The Yellow Turban Army looked confused, and the three hundred people instinctively gathered together, squeezing even tighter. The Zhuang Ding brought by Xu Chu was not much better. There were two groups of people, one yellow and one black, gathered together, looking nondescript.

It made Liu Ming almost laugh out loud. They were all generals, but Xu Chu, Zhou Cang and Gao Shun were far behind in comparison. Look at the Xiang Yong they brought out, they were really murderous.

But in this battle, Liu Ming was confident that he didn't need to rely on these soldiers at all. They only needed to be brave behind him. Now that there are so many capable soldiers around him, how many generals can the opponent bring with him when he comes from afar?

Unless they swarm up and start a melee without saying a word, if they are habitual fighters, then the opponent will definitely lose.

Liu Ming judged that it was probably impossible to start a melee. There were only a few thousand people around Sun Jian with rich combat experience. These people should have followed Sun Jian to defend Wancheng and could not come here rashly.

And he saw from the telescope that there was no "Sun" flag among the sergeants, and the formation was messy during the march. It was obvious that they had just recruited soldiers who lacked training.

In terms of combat effectiveness, such soldiers may not be as good as the bandits under Zhou Cang and the clan elites brought by Xu Xu.

Sure enough, the dust like a yellow dragon slowly fell down, showing that the enemy's marching speed was rapidly decreasing, and finally gradually revealed its true face, stopping about five hundred steps away from Liu Ming.

Two large flags were flying in the wind in the enemy's formation. One had the word "Han" written on it, and the other had the word "Cheng" written on it.

(End of this chapter)