I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 163 Don’t Be Cowardly, Just Do It

Wei Yan was young and frivolous, and was very brave. The word "fear" did not exist in his dictionary.

Facing Zhai Jie's question, Wei Yan clasped his hands together and said with a look of regret: "Although there are tens of thousands of people, they are not united. The rebel leader Yang Da is just a nobleman in this county. Yan just observed the enemy from afar. The core force that Yang Da can control is no more than a thousand people at most. They are all servants of the Yang family. The rest are mostly refugees who are coerced by him. Although these people are numerous, they are ragged and their morale is low. As long as our army does not reveal any flaws, it is simply a pipe dream for the enemy to break through the county with such a force."

"Oh? Do you have a way to defend the county?"

Although Zhai Jie was not afraid of death, he was not familiar with military strategies. At most, he could only provide some city defense equipment to assist the guards and militiamen in the city to resist the bandits.

So after listening to Wei Yan's analysis, he knew that he was a talented person, so he couldn't help but want to test Wei Yan.

Wei Yan did not disappoint him. He remained calm and answered fluently: "Pingyin County has only three city gates. Apart from the east gate and the south gate, the north gate is close to the river port. The area around it is all muddy and not conducive to marching. So as long as our army mobilizes the people in the city and concentrates its forces to guard the east and south gates, there is no reason for us to lose."

"well said!"

Seeing that Wei Yan had clear ideas and extraordinary courage, Zhai Jie immediately entrusted him with an important task: "I will temporarily relieve Gao Dong of his post as county lieutenant and let you take over. I will also let you lead all the 300 soldiers under his command. Do you have the confidence to defend Pingyin County?"

After hearing this, Wei Yan was very excited. He clasped his hands together and said loudly: "I am willing to issue a military order. The city is safe as long as the people are there. If the city is destroyed, the people will die!"

"Okay, then I will sacrifice my life to accompany you, and live and die with you!"

Zhai Jie patted Wei Yan on the shoulder and said, "Do your best and don't let me down."

"My subordinate understands!"

Although tens of thousands of rebels were approaching the city aggressively, Wei Yan was full of energy. This was a rare opportunity to lead troops into battle alone, and Zhai Jie in front of him was a close confidant of Qi Hou Wang Jing.

As long as you have outstanding military achievements, why should you be afraid of not being able to stand out?
When a person dies, the birds fly up to the sky. If a person doesn’t die, he will live for thousands of years. Let’s fight!

After making up his mind, Wei Yan was not even willing to defend the city to the death. After all, how could the achievement of defending the territory compare to the achievement of defeating the enemy?

Therefore, after Wei Yan was promoted to county lieutenant and took control of the military power, he directly suggested to Zhai Jie: "County Master, Yang Da is greedy and stingy, and has a bad reputation. He must be unable to control his soldiers. In addition, today's attack on the city was fruitless, and the morale of the rebels must be low. Our army can take this opportunity to launch a night attack and defeat them in one fell swoop."

The enemy is attacking with an army of 10,000 and we only have 300 soldiers. What should we do?
Wei Yan’s idea is very simple: don’t be timid, just do it!
In the early morning, the sun rises in the blue sky.

When the first ray of sunlight shone on the earth, the gates of Luoyang opened, and the whole city seemed to come alive and began to become bustling and noisy.

Just then, a horse galloped towards them.

"A great victory in Pingyin County! A great victory in Pingyin County!"

The sudden victory news surprised countless Luoyang residents: "Victory news? When did the war start again?"

"Where is Pingyin County? Why did the fight suddenly break out?"

This news is really puzzling.

At the General Wei's Mansion, Wang Jing quickly got the first-hand news, and then showed a surprised expression: "The battle report and the victory report came together, this is quite novel."

After reading the battle report, Xun You also showed a look of joy: "Three hundred people took advantage of the enemy's unstable foothold and launched a surprise attack at night, killing the rebel leader in one fell swoop. This battle was too bold and too exciting."

After praising him, Xun You bowed to Wang Jing and said, "I would like to congratulate you, my lord, for having gained another brave general."

"Hmm? Wei Yan?"

When Wang Jing saw the name of the person who had made a great contribution, he was quite surprised.

After all, Wei Yan in history came to prominence relatively late, probably until twenty years later when Liu Bei entered Shu.

And isn’t Wei Yan from Yiyang?

That place is still Yuan Shu's territory. Why did he come here to seek refuge with me?

When Wang Jing saw that Wei Yan was the first name listed on the victory report, he was completely shocked. This famous general who was highly valued by Liu Bei had actually joined the Northern Army a long time ago, but he knew nothing about it.

But no matter what, it is indeed a happy thing to have such a first-class celebrity come to invest.

Wang Jing put down the battle report and asked about the situation in the city: "It seems that Zhong Ji and Wang Fu have already taken action. Yang Da from Pingyin County must be the person they arranged. The purpose is to force Zhai Jie to ask for help and mobilize our troops to leave the city."

Xun You nodded, thinking carefully, and then made an analysis: "Our army is strong and unstoppable. The only chance for Zhong Ji and Wang Fu to win is to attack Huanglong in the name of clearing the emperor's side. As long as they control Your Majesty, they can use this to cut off our foundation."

Although Wang Jing is now powerful and majestic, in fact, the political legitimacy of the Northern Army comes mostly from Emperor Liu Xie himself. Wang Jing holds the trump card of Liu Xie in his hand, so he can control the emperor and the princes, and command the world legitimately.

Even though the princes were dissatisfied in their hearts, the people under their rule were willing to believe in the court and the emperor from the bottom of their hearts, and therefore had expectations and good feelings towards Wang Jing.

This is the importance of "reputation" in the feudal era. Reputation is power and reputation is power. Reputation is often linked to power, and the legitimacy of a regime sometimes seems illusory, but it is very important and can determine people's support.

Wang Jing and Xun You were naturally well aware of this, so they planned to take advantage of this.

"Gongda, the plan can begin now."

"Don't worry, my lord. Everything has been arranged. We are just waiting for the prey to come to us."

Northwest of Luoyang, the border of Huayin County.

In a tavern, Zhong Ji was drinking to himself, cursing loudly: "Damn it, how dare this young boy ruin my plan! And that Yang Da is such a loser, his long-prepared plan failed so easily."

"Please be patient. Although we have lost the initiative, we still have a backup plan. The situation can still be salvaged. The most important thing right now is not to lose your mind. To do great things, you need to be calm. Anxiety will only make us make more fatal mistakes."

Wang Fu remained calm and composed, holding up the wine cup and drinking by himself.

With his comfort, Zhong Ji finally calmed down: "You are quite patient. So tell me, Yang Da was defeated. How should we save the situation next?"

The wine cup was gently placed on the table, and Wang Fu's expression was still calm and composed: "The Northern Army is sharp and powerful, so it is naturally invincible. Yang Da's defeat was expected. Although he was defeated too quickly and caught us off guard, the situation is still under control, so we don't need to worry."

"really?"

Although Zhong Ji is full of passion, he is not good at strategy, so until now, he is still not very clear about Wang Fu's plan.

Previously, Wang Fu had not told Zhong Ji all the details for the sake of confidentiality, but now, in order to reassure him, he had to explain in detail.

But before he started, Wang Fu kept the secret a secret and asked Zhong Ji with a smile, "In terms of martial prowess, Marquis Qi is undoubtedly very strong, but he has a fatal flaw."

Hearing Wang Fu say this, Zhong Ji became even more curious: "What's the flaw?"

Wang Fu smiled complacently, and then began to talk freely: "It's a status."

"Name?"

"Yes, it's the title."

As early as when Wang Jing entered Luoyang and controlled Liu Xie, Wang Fu had more or less guessed Wang Jing's strategic layout, and now he was deploying it in a targeted manner. His eyes were sharp and his tongue was as sharp as a sword: "Holding the emperor to command the princes can certainly appease the people with the righteousness and reputation in your hands and reduce the resistance to unifying the world."

Wang Fu then changed the subject, a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth: "However, fortune and disaster are interdependent. Marquis Qi used the emperor to control the princes and enjoyed the benefits. Once the emperor gets into trouble, his advantage will immediately turn into a disadvantage."

“By then, they will lose their status. Even if Marquis Qi’s army is strong and powerful, they will become bandits. We only need to raise our arms and call on the troops of the world to come to the king. Then, Marquis Qi and the Northern Army will only face death.”

Wang Fu's goal was to have Wang Jing be surrounded and killed by various princes.

Zhong Ji was puzzled: "Your plan is good, but the emperor is so important that Wang Jing must lead the army in Luoyang. Moreover, Wang Yue, the emperor's teacher, was defeated and then established. Now he is half a step into the realm of heaven and man. Liu Xie has these two people to protect him. How easy is it to kill him?"

"Someone will naturally deal with the Sword Saint, and it will be easy to mobilize Marquis Qi to leave Luoyang. We just need to call on everyone to join the uprising. Do you think Marquis Qi can still sit still?"

"Isn't this... too risky?"

Zhong Ji had always been irritable, but he didn't expect that Wang Fu's plan was even more irritable than his. He went all-in right from the start, risking everything. If he won, it would be fine. If he lost, everyone would be confiscated and exterminated.

"Why, you hesitated?"

Wang Fu looked at his friend Zhong Ji with a cold expression: "But this is our only chance to win. The Northern Army is so powerful that if we don't join together, we will be defeated one by one by his small forces. If we are really defeated, the so-called alliance will be nothing but a joke."

"Oh, okay, I'll listen to you."

Zhong Ji thought about it and realized that it was just as Wang Fu said. Only by putting all their efforts into it at once could they force Wang Jing to mobilize the main force to leave Luoyang to quell the rebellion.

"In that case, let's start our plan."

Zhong Ji grasped the hilt of the sword at his waist, his expression more solemn than ever before: "I hope we can win this time."

Wang Fu was very confident: "Trust me, we will definitely win this battle."

Three days later, under Wang Jing's rule, 113 powerful families in four counties and 68 prefectures rebelled because they were dissatisfied with the court's new policies, shocking the world.

The capital city, which had regained peace due to the defeat of Dong Zhuo and the withdrawal of the allied forces, was once again engulfed in flames of war.

Hundreds of powerful families gathered more than 100,000 troops with the intention of overthrowing Wang Jing's rule. For a time, the entire Luoyang city became panic-stricken and turbulent again.

Sword Saint Wang Yue almost always stayed in the Jiade Hall, holding the Snake-Slaying Sword in his hand, to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the situation and plotting against Liu Xie.

Xun You came quietly to report: "My lord, the fish has taken the bait."

Wang Jing's expression straightened when he heard this: "Where are Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu? What are they doing?"

Xun You, who was in charge of gathering military intelligence, also replied respectfully: "I have sent a secret letter to Xu You and Yang Hong to gather intelligence on my behalf. I believe that news will be reported back soon."

Sure enough, after a while, two carrier pigeons flew over General Wei's mansion at the same time, one from the south and one from the north. After circling a few times, they landed in Xun You's palm.

goooo~
The carrier pigeon opened its big eyes and shook its head. It waited until Xun You took off the ring on its foot before flying away again.

Xun You flattened the rolled up secret letter, then opened the main text from the code book, read the contents, and then walked to Wang Jing step by step: "My lord, the news has been reported that Yuan Shu sent 30,000 troops to reinforce the Luyang area and threaten Liang County. And Yuan Shao, with his general Yan Liang, led 3,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry, and went upstream along the river to Bai Ma, threatening the safety of Henei County."

"I am trapped both internally and externally. It seems that the Yuan brothers really want to kill me as soon as possible."

Wang Jing sneered, the corners of his mouth curled up with contempt and disdain.

The aristocratic families and the powerful clans were colluding with each other, and Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu had accomplices in Luoyang City. These situations were within his expectations and were not surprising.

Wang Jing asked casually, "Did Xu You and Yang Hong respond?"

"Yang Hong sent a reply letter, saying that Liu Biao of Jingzhou entered the city alone, with the help of the local noble families of Kuai and Cai in northern Jingzhou, and has taken Xiangyang and has a large army. In order to guard against Liu Biao, Yuan Shu's main force did not dare to leave Wancheng, so the southern route should be a feint attack, intended to tie down our army and make it difficult for our army to concentrate its forces to suppress the rebellion."

"As for Xu You, he said in his letter that Yuan Shao's intention was to take Jizhou, so he sent Yan Liang to take Henei directly. If our army did not reveal any flaws, he would never attack by force. But if our army was really vulnerable, Yuan Shao would not mind taking Henei County directly and forming a pincer attack on Yecheng strategically."

It has to be said that these are two very important pieces of information. Although the content is short, they both involve the strategic policies of the two Yuans. It can be said that they directly reveal the true colors of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.

Although we cannot fully believe what Xu You and Yang Hong said, they are still very valuable for reference.

Wang Jing had made a fortune by getting such crucial information after laying out two hidden chess pieces. He asked Xun You, "Does Gongda have any countermeasures?"

Xun You thought about it and soon came up with an idea: "We can send a cavalry to Henei County and use guerrilla warfare to contain Yan Liang's troops under Yuan Shao, so that he cannot easily take Huai County. In this way, if Yuan Shao really wants to take Jizhou, there will be no unnecessary trouble."

"As for the southern front, General Xu is in charge. He has been through hundreds of battles, so I think it will be foolproof."

Xun You also had great confidence in Xu Rong's ability to lead troops in battle, as Xu Rong was a strong man from a military family. He believed that with him, Yuan Shu would be able to be stopped in Nanyang.

Wang Jing thought about it and confirmed that there was nothing missing, so he nodded and agreed: "In this case, let's send Lu Bu to lead 3,000 Hu cavalry to fight. With him outside to contain the enemy, and with Wen Ruo's ability, Henei County should be able to be defended."

Although Xun Yu was not sincere in his loyalty, the Xun family had placed their bets on him. With Xun Yu's wisdom and integrity, plus Lu Bu's military power, there would be absolutely no problem in defending Henei County.

And if something really goes wrong, it means that the Xun family is not sincere enough.

The external arrangements have been completed, and what remains is the internal combat operations.

"The fish has taken the bait, so we should start to take action."

Even though some powerful families under his rule were rebelling, Wang Jing still looked confident and calm: "Since some people want me to mobilize the main force to leave the city, how can I let them down?"

Then Wang Jing began to give orders.

"Youping."

"My subordinate is here!"

"You will lead two thousand halberd soldiers and one thousand crossbowmen to fight with me."

"Subordinates take orders!"

"Gong Yi."

"My subordinate is here!"

"You lead three thousand Danyang soldiers and follow me into battle."

"Subordinates take orders!"

Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin were very excited when they heard this. There was another battle to fight!
In the last battle with the coalition forces, one of them became a Jianwu lieutenant and the other became a Fenwu lieutenant. The speed of their promotion was like riding a rocket.

When they were bandits in the past, how could they dare to dream of the position of colonel?

But now, following Wang Jing, they start as captains, and if they make meritorious contributions, they will be promoted to lieutenants. In a few years, won't they be able to be made marquises and become generals? If they are not careful, their names will be recorded in history and passed down through the ages. They are afraid that they will be able to smile in their graves even if they die on the battlefield!
Therefore, when he heard that there was another war, he was immediately ecstatic and wanted to make more military achievements so that he could be promoted to a higher position!
Then Wang Jing called Yan Xing and ordered him, "Yan Ming, lead a thousand cavalrymen to Hangu Pass as soon as possible to block the land and water passages and prohibit all traffic."

"Yes, I obey!"

After receiving the military order, Yan Xing immediately mounted his horse, summoned the heavy armored cavalry, left Luoyang, and headed straight for Hangu Pass.

With Gao Shun and Yan Xing there, Tongguan and Hanguguan can be kept safe. At the same time, cutting off road traffic can also prevent the rebellious powerful families from joining forces and becoming difficult to control.

After everything was arranged, Wang Jing personally led the main force out of the city to quell the rebellion.

The Bingzhou soldiers holding halberds and carrying shields, the Sheshengying with powerful crossbows on their backs, and 10,000 infantry, a total of 15,000 troops, marched out of Dongyang Gate in a heroic and high-spirited manner.

The sound of horse hooves, flying flags, and the mighty and majestic military presence greatly soothed the people of Luoyang.

With such a strong army, a few rebels are nothing to worry about!
When the main force of the army passed by the horse market outside the east gate, a few spies with shifty eyes looked around in the corner for a long time before leaving stealthily.

Two days later, Huayin County.

As soon as Zhong Ji got the information from his spies, he immediately found his good friend Wang Fu and excitedly told him the news: "Wang Jing has left the capital. When will we leave?"

Wang Fu rolled his eyes at Zhong Ji and said unhappily, "Why are you in such a hurry? Where is Marquis Qi's main force?"

Zhong Ji smiled with two rows of white teeth showing: "You still have a way. Yan Xing and a thousand armored heavy cavalry have been transferred to Hangu Pass. Xu Rong is pinned down in Liang County. Lu Bu also rushed to Hanoi to help because of Yan Liang's advance. Xu Huang is stationed in Hulao and cannot be moved lightly. Now Wang Jing has to use the two main forces of Bingzhou Armored Soldiers and Shesheng Battalion to quell the rebellion. Even Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin are accompanying them to fight."

"Luoyang today can be said to be a deserted city."

(End of this chapter)