Great Han Empire

Chapter 348 The Swordsman
In the middle of the night, Li Hong was awakened from sleep by Pang De.

"My lord, Mr. Zheng has an urgent military report." Pang De said anxiously, "Master Xianyu and Mr. Yan have already rushed to the tent."

Li Hong stood up dizzily, with his eyes half-opened and half-closed. Following Pound to the big tent next door, he asked vaguely, "Shouyan, what happened?"

"My lord, Xiongba has occupied Yuyang." Zheng Xin said angrily, "Xianbei people took advantage of the fire to loot, and they came so fast."

Li Hong became alert all over, his eyes widened suddenly, and the drowsiness disappeared in an instant.What he was most worried about still happened.Now that the Xianbei sent troops to contain him, the fact that the army took advantage of the victory to pursue the rebels would come to naught.

"Is the commander here?" Li Hong asked hastily.Several people in the big tent knew that he was asking about Murong Feng.Murong Feng has long been an adult of Xianbei in Central China, but Li Hong still calls him Marshal, and he never calls Murong Feng by his name.Li Hong has a special feeling for Murong Feng, his subordinates all know it, especially the old subordinates in Youzhou, they are very clear about the matter between Li Hong and Murong Feng.

"I don't know." Zheng Xin said, "This news was sent by Mr. Xianyu's clansman. He said that four days ago, Xiong Ba, the handsome Xianbei man, brought 5000 cavalry to Yuyang City. Jing did not resist at all, fled in a hurry with [-] troops, and handed over Yuyang City to the Xianbei people."

"The people in Yuyang City don't know that the rebels are in collusion with the Xianbei people, otherwise, they would never let the Xianbei people into the city anyway." Xian Yufu said angrily, "Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun are too despicable. For their own lives , even the Great Han Kingdom and the people of the Great Han Kingdom can be betrayed."

"The army of the Xianbei people must have passed Yanshan Mountain early in the morning and ambushed on the prairie." Yan Rou said solemnly, "The Xianbei people came so fast, and the timing was so good, it seems that they have kept in touch with the rebels .Now they occupy Yuyang and directly threaten Jicheng, forcing us to go east and west of Liaoning to continue chasing the enemy." He looked up at Li Hong and smiled wryly, "This matter of suppressing the rebellion will probably be delayed for a long time."

Li Hong looked at the map, pointed to Lucheng, and said, "So, Lucheng was captured by Zhang Jing." He sneered, "Zhang Chun even wanted to get some time to breathe, so he didn't even want Yuyang City."

Zheng Xin asked anxiously: "My lord, do you want the cavalry to attack overnight?"

Li Hong shook his hand, "Let me think about it. The commander-in-chief will not mobilize the army for a traitor who is not a big man, he must have another purpose."

"Murongfeng's purpose is very simple. He just wants to drag us in Youzhou and be unable to return to Bingzhou." Yan Rou pointed to Yanmen Pass and said, "He won't let it go until he beats Bingzhou. The loss in the battle of Western Xinjiang , it looks like he's going to fish it back in Bingzhou."

"Ziyu, there are Zhang Yan and Yang Feng's Yellow Turban Army in Bingzhou..." Xian Yufu said hesitantly, "If Zhang Yan sends troops, Yanmen Pass will not be lost."

Li Hong's expression changed suddenly, and he pointed to Zheng Xin and said, "Shouyan, you go back to Jinyang immediately and ask Xu Rong to pay close attention to the movement of the Yellow Turban Army. There must be Zhang Chun in the Yellow Turban Army. After you go back, you must take these If someone finds out, otherwise, none of the Yellow Turbans will be allowed to go to Yanmen Pass."

Xian Yufu, Yan Rou and Zheng Xin immediately thought of the consequences of the Yellow Turban Army's rebellion, and the eyes of the three suddenly showed fear.

"My people, if the Huns are in chaos, Kuangsha's Wuqi battalion will definitely go to Xihe to support them. Zilie has no one in his hands." Xian Yufu said in fear, "Sheyingtong's Hussar battalion is in the east of the river to kill The Baibo Yellow Turban Army, I don’t know if they won the battle. If they win, Zilie can only call back half of the troops to guard Jinyang at most. The current situation in Jinyang..."

Li Hong waved his hands and said, "Don't think too much about it. This is our negligence. There are too many yellow scarf soldiers mixed with good and bad people. Everyone has their own ideas. It is entirely possible to rebel again."

"Shouyan, after you go back, you must first ensure the safety of Zhang Yan and Yang Feng. These two people must not die. If either of them is assassinated, the Yellow Turban Army will definitely be in chaos, and the situation will be out of control." Li Hong said solemnly, "I personally wrote to Zhang Yan and Yang Feng, asking them to cooperate with you in eliminating the rebellion."

"Shouyan, this matter must be done in secret, so as not to alarm the entire Yellow Turban Army. Whether Bingzhou can be safe and secure depends on these tens of thousands of Yellow Turban Army guarding the Yanmen Pass." Xian Yufu instructed, "You must not make a big fanfare. The Yellow Turban Army made everyone feel insecure and jumpy."

Zheng Xin nodded again and again, "I see. What else do you want to order?"

"You tell Zilie, now that Zhuo County has been taken, and the road from Jizhou to Youzhou is unimpeded, you still have to ask him to write me a letter in three days, don't stop." Li Hong said, "You can go back without worry. There is Zi Chan in the scout camp, so nothing will happen."

"When does your lord estimate that you can return to Bingzhou?"

"There is no possibility of returning aid." Li Hong sighed, "Tell Zilie that the matter of Bingzhou can only be resolved by himself."

Zheng Xin stayed silent for a long time.

"Ziyu, you used to be a soldier in Guangyang County, and you are familiar with the terrain here." Li Hong said to Yan Rou, "Tomorrow morning, take Jiang Wu's cavalry battalion to Lucheng, and join Zhao Yun as soon as possible."

"When will your lord attack Jicheng?" Yan Rou asked, "When will we come back?"

"We won't fight for the time being. We fought all the way with Lord Liu, and we suffered a lot of losses. The army needs time to repair." Li Hong said, "You are moving around in Yongnu and Lucheng, trying to force the rebels in Jicheng as much as possible. Retreat as soon as possible. If you can't fight, don't fight, so as not to damage the troops too much. Now we only need more than 4 people, and we have to suppress the rebellion and drive out the Xianbei people, so the troops are not enough."

===

Zhao Yun was lying by the Gushui River, listening to the rushing of the river, looking at the stars in the sky in twos and threes, feeling very depressed.

The general ordered himself to occupy Lucheng to block the retreat of the rebels, but he lost it. How can he explain to the general?It is a trivial matter to be dismissed and beheaded, but it is a major matter to let the rebels fled from Lucheng to the west of Liaoning and destroy the general's plan to wipe out the enemy.Since I followed the general, I have made a lot of military exploits in the South and North, but compared to other generals, the speed of my promotion due to merit is already enviable.Yan Rou, Yushi, Yan Liang, and many other generals who followed the general were all outstanding, but they were just school lieutenants just like themselves, and people like Yan Wuwei, Zhang He, Wen Chou, Gao Lan, etc. were still captains, so it can be seen The general attaches great importance to himself.I lost Lucheng this time, how can I be worthy of the general?
Yan Wuwei walked over from a distance.

"Zilong, let's go eat something. Isn't Lucheng just lost? Tomorrow we meet Liu Ming and we can take it back." Yan Wuwei comforted with a smile.

Like many generals, he likes Zhao Yun very much.Although Zhao Yun became a school lieutenant at a young age, and he was more senior than himself, he was convinced.Zhao Yun's school lieutenant was earned by himself through military merits, and was rewarded by the emperor himself, so he can't accept it.Zhao Yun is both civil and military, not to mention martial arts, apart from the general and Yan Liang, there is no third person in the army who can defeat him.Zhao Yun is easy-going and humble, honest and honest, and has no temper. He can get along with anyone and is very popular in the army. However, some people say behind his back that Zhao Yun is the general's confidant. The general trusts him and gives him the opportunity to lead the army. Otherwise, how could he have such military exploits?Yan Wuwei didn't like to listen, he said, if you have the ability, you can kill June Jinglei for me to see.Everyone has opportunities, the key is whether you can seize the opportunity.

This time Li Hong asked Zhao Yun to lead the army alone to attack the rear of the rebels, and many officers wentssip again.Such a good opportunity to make meritorious service, the general did not give it to Master Yan Rouyan, but gave it to Zhao Yun, the general is too partial.If Zhao Yun makes great achievements again, he will become a general of Zhonglang, and even Master Yan Rouyan will listen to Zhao Yun.Yan Wuwei also felt that the general favored Zhao Yun a little too much.He wanted to find an opportunity to talk to the general in private. Anyway, he was the general's first bodyguard, the thief Cao, and he accompanied the general to Xianbei to save Fengxue alone. The two had an unusual personal relationship.The general always reuses Zhao Yun in this way, and if he doesn't give others a chance, it will make many old subordinates feel disappointed.Wen Chou told him that he had hacked the general with a knife, so the general never trusted him. He also said that he had very little chance to lead the army alone, and he was not as good as Zhang Xi and Gao Lan.

Liu Ming lost Lucheng and ruined the general's strategy, Zhao Yun must be held responsible.Yan Wuwei was also very worried for Zhao Yun. Once he was punished, there would be many people who would take the opportunity to slander him.Now the generals in the army come from all over the world, and there are many factions. There are often competitions for merit, and there are also those who slander each other.The last time Zhao Yun challenged others privately in Hanoi, the general shut him up in the camp and thought about his mistakes behind closed doors. Zhao Yun wrote several letters of apology before the general exempted him from punishment.I heard that someone persuaded the general to blame Zhao Yun and demote him that time, but the assassin Wei Zhengwei said a lot of good things for Zhao Yun, and the general was happy to let the situation go, and let it go.But if the general gets angry this time, Zhao Yun may not be so lucky.

"Brother Wuwei, what will we do with Yongnu when we go north to attack Lucheng?" Zhao Yun said worriedly, "The general's intention is that we block the two retreat routes of the rebel army, but if we can't attack Lucheng City, gave up on Yong Nu, and let the rebels run away, the consequences..."

Yan Wuwei smiled and said: "Zilong, to prevent the rebels from retreating, we don't have to attack the city. We come and go quickly. We can burn the floating bridges or cut off the road, as long as we don't let the rebels retreat calmly. You Say?"

Zhao Yun frowned, thought for a long time, and said, "Brother Wuwei, you stay here, and I will take two thousand Huns north to meet Liu Ming."

"Okay, then we will divide into two, you go north, and I will stay here."

===

Yongnu is more than 160 miles away from Lucheng, separated by Baoqiu River.After Zhao Yun led two thousand Xiongnu cavalry to gallop for more than 100 miles, he met Liu Ming at the palace pavilion more than 30 kilometers away from Lucheng.

Liu Ming looked depressed and was at a loss.After a few words of comfort, Zhao Yun asked him how Lucheng was lost.

Liu Ming said that since your lord and Yan Wuwei left, the Huns who stayed in Lucheng lost their deterrence, and immediately revealed their greedy and cruel nature.Although Liu Ming killed a few Xiongnu soldiers who took the lead in making troubles, the atrocities of the Huns had angered the people of Lucheng. They would rather let the rebels occupy Lucheng than see the Huns running rampant in the city.The Han people hate the Huns and the Hu people. This kind of hatred is deep-rooted, and no one can change it.

Zhang Jing, the leader of the rebel army in Yuyang City, assembled a total of [-] rebels from the three cities of Hunu and Pinggu, and suddenly rushed to Lucheng.Liu Ming was caught off guard and defended the city.That night, the leader of the Xiongnu Qianchang who was stationed at the north gate of the city led people to rob several women near the gate. As a result, the people in the city were completely enraged. Chang and dozens of Xiongnu soldiers opened the city gate and let the rebels in.Seeing that the city was lost, Liu Ming had no choice but to rush out with the remnants of the defeated generals and fight a bloody path.

"How many people were lost?" Zhao Yun asked with a sigh.

"More than 600 people." Liu Ming said angrily, "I can't wait to kill all these Huns."

Zhao Yun shook his hand and said, "It's very good that the Huns came to help us fight the war. We can't blame them for this kind of thing, we can only blame ourselves for not strictly managing the army. After the war is over, I will apologize to the general."

Liu Ming was ashamed and bowed his head in silence.Zhao Yun put his arms around his shoulders and said with a smile, "Brother Qiansi, let's think of a way to see if we can take Lucheng back."

"I can't take it back." Liu Ming shook his head and said, "If the city is attacked, the people in the city will go to the wall to help the rebels defend the city. First, they hate us Huns, and second, they are even more afraid that we will retaliate against them and wash the whole city with blood. So, don’t think about the siege anymore.”

Hearing what he said, Zhao Yun immediately dismissed the idea of ​​attacking the city, "Then let's burn the pontoon bridges. The rebels built the pontoon bridges on the two rivers?"

"No." Liu Ming said, "That Zhang Jing used 6000 people to build a pontoon bridge on the river, and it will take another two days, but..."

Zhao Yun looked at Liu Ming suspiciously, waiting for him to continue.

"Zilong, this Zhang Jing is very cunning. He has placed a large number of repelling horses at both ends of the pontoon, and we can't rush over." Liu Ming said through gritted teeth, "I have tried several times, but they were all rejected by the rebels. The arrows shot back."

===

Yan Wuwei led an army of cavalry to kill Yongnu city again and again, and pretended to attack the city.Xian Yuchen, who was directing the bridge erection outside the city, received an emergency from the defenders in the city, and hurried back to the city with thousands of troops.Just as the soldiers of the rebel army entered the city, Yan Wuwei suddenly led people to kill them. They rushed into the rear of the rebel army and slashed wildly, then roared away.Ta Dun, who came to support him, wanted to chase but dared not, and was so angry that he cursed.

In the evening, Yan Wuwei led the army back to the Gushui River to rest. He called his subordinates Duan Xuan, Xinhu and Zongliu to discuss how to burn the pontoon bridge.Duan Xuan was the last to arrive, bringing a young Confucian student with him.This Confucian scholar was eighteen or nineteen years old, with delicate features, intelligent eyes, calm demeanor, and no fear at all.

"Mingzhi, is this a prisoner you captured?" Yan Wuwei smiled, "What kind of prisoner are you taking at this time? Just cut it off with a knife, and look for trouble if you have nothing to do."

The young Confucian scholar suddenly raised his eyebrows and his face showed anger.Duan Xuan smiled noncommittally, and said: "Brother Wuwei, his name is Tian Yu, and he is from Yongnu City."

"Oh." Yan Wuwei snorted and raised his hand to greet him, "Come, come, sit, sit. Xinhu, give him something to eat, this kid must be hungry."

Duan Xuan pulled the boy to sit down.Xinhu smiled and handed Tian Yu a piece of meatloaf, "Eat it. Your home is in the city? Are you a rebel soldier?"

Tian Yu took the meatloaf, looked at Xinhu strangely, and asked Duan Xuan, "My lord, he didn't speak the language of the Huns, he is a Qiang?"

Yan Wuwei laughed loudly, screamed and kicked Xinhu, "Why are you talking so softly? He doesn't understand, so you can scold him a few words." Then he pointed to Zongliu and said, "Say a few words in the Hun dialect Listen to him, scold him a few words, see if he understands."

Tian Yu was angry, he glared at Yan Wuwei, and asked in a calm voice: "My lord is the world-famous little bird of Yanshan, Master Yan?"

Xinhu and Zongliu looked at each other and laughed loudly at the same time, "Haha..."

Everyone knows Yan Wuwei's nickname, except for Yan Rou, no one dares to call it in person.Today they suddenly heard a young Confucian scholar say it politely, and suddenly felt extremely funny, and couldn't help laughing wildly.Yan Wuwei stared at Tian Yu, then turned his gaze to Duan Xuan, "Did you say that?"

Duan Xuan didn't expect Tian Yu to break Yan Wuwei's big taboo when he opened his mouth, he laughed so hard that tears flowed down his face, but he knew that Yan Wuwei was easy-going, joking and always had no temper, and it was okay to break the big taboo.

"Is this kid a relative of your family?" Yan Wuwei asked solemnly, pointing at Tian Yu who was puzzled.

"No...haha...not..."

"I didn't beat you to death, Yanshan bird was also called by you." Yan Wuwei flew to Duan Xuan, swung his fist and hit him.

Tian Yu was stunned.There are still such adults in the world.

"My lord, this official is not a prisoner. This official is the chief secretary (in charge of documents) of the Yongnu County government, and I have come here to offer my lord a plan to destroy the city."

Yan Wuwei stared at Tian Yu with wide eyes, slowly lowered his fist, and asked in surprise: "Do you have a plan to break the city?"

Duan Xuan suppressed his laughter and explained: "This Mr. Tian rode behind us on his own, not a prisoner I captured."

"Then why didn't you say it earlier?" Yan Wuwei stood up and smiled at Tian Yu, "My name is Yan Wuwei, not Yanshan Xiaoniao, and I'm not someone famous all over the world. Don't flatter me. You Tell me, how do you take down Yongnu City?"

===

(End of this chapter)