Xu Xian casually took out an arrow from the quiver and stuck it into the horse's butt. The injured horse neighed and ran away.

He turned around and shouted loudly: "Don't skimp on your horse power, these horses can't carry you across the river!"

The other people in the Red Scarf City also followed suit. They galloped wildly on the snowy field with their horses, and soon they were four or five miles behind the Tang army behind them. However, the horse speed had already reached its extreme and it was difficult to keep the distance.

The Huaihe River is already in sight. The crystal-clear river surface reflects the cold sunlight and glares directly at people's eyes. There are red scarf soldiers lying on the ice with ropes in their hands. There are two or three people on each rope like grasshoppers strung together.

, when the preparations were completed, the comrades on the opposite side pulled them over. The greater the contact area, the lower the pressure. Even a strong person like Bai Yanyu could easily cross the river.

When they reached the other side, the prick used a rope to pull over the dozens of rope ends that were trapped together. Seeing that Xu Xian had stopped his horse, the prick stepped forward and reported, "Dian Zhi came just in time. We just took Wu."

Liang, send them all over!"

"Okay! Da Kui quickly brings his men over, ten people on a rope!"

The kid smacked his tongue and said, "I'm afraid Bing won't be able to hold on for ten people!"

"As long as you hold on to the rope tightly, you won't be able to fall. Don't be stunned and move faster!"

More than a hundred people tied the divine arm crossbow to their bodies and threw away all other things. They lay down on the ice and grabbed the rope. The zodiac waved the small flag. The comrades on the opposite side worked hard together, one by one.

It was like a small boat sailing across the ice, and you could vaguely hear the subtle crisp sound coming from under the ice, as if it was about to break apart at any time, until they crashed into a ball on the other side, and the stones in their hearts finally fell to the ground.

"Quickly let go!" Xiaozi led the people to quickly pull the rope back.

To transport more than a hundred people at a time, it would take at least three trips to transport them all to the other side. But the Tang army was getting closer and closer, with only two miles left at most. Luo Fubang waved his whip and moved all the horses

The children were driven together.

Xu Xian asked: "What are you going to do?"

Luo Fubang said with a smile: "I just want to buy some time for my brothers. Take care, brothers!"

After he finished speaking, he jumped on a horse and led more than a thousand empty horses to rush towards the Tang army. Everyone looked at Luo Fubang's slightly tragic back in astonishment. Everyone's eyes were red and they praised:

"What a hero!" Only Xu Xian knew that he was just pursuing his dream.

Xiao Zi put the end of the rope into Xu Xian's hand, "Dian Zhi, it's our turn!"

"Why should I be last?"

"When we turn back to the shore, the first one will be bruised and swollen, and the last one will have a lot of fleshy cushions. It won't hurt!"

Xu Xian grabbed the end of the rope and lay on the ice. Xiaozi shouted and ran towards the opposite side. The rope immediately moved faster and faster. If it weren't for the armor protecting it, Xu Xian felt that he would definitely do it.

His intestines were torn apart.

There was a muffled sound, and a group of people bumped into someone on the shore, causing him to flip over. He was right. There was a pile of flesh pads and it really didn't hurt much.

Xu Xian staggered to his feet, turned around and saw that Liu Renzhan had already stationed his horse on the bank. Several Tang soldiers did not stop their horses and rushed into the river. After a few steps, there was a loud crash and they all fell into the water.

inside.

Xu Xian laughed loudly and said, "Thank you very much Liu Linggong for sending me. I'll see you later!"

All the soldiers of Zhou Dynasty echoed loudly, "Thank you very much, Duke Liu, for sending me. I'll see you later!"

————————————

Knowing that the Southern Expeditionary Army had suffered a new defeat, Chai Rong immediately couldn't sit still. The next day, he made a decision at the court meeting to lead the expedition in person. With Feng Dao's support, not many people opposed it.

The war machine of the Great Zhou Dynasty immediately started to operate. Compared with the last time he personally conquered the Northern Han Dynasty, Chai Rong's expedition this time was really grand. Not only did he recruit the imperial army and more than 100,000 troops in the vassal town, but he also brought hundreds of civil and military officials and the queen. This

As long as you win, that's it. If you lose, Da Zhou will be blamed.

After the renovation and expansion, the Royal Street was even more spacious than before. Both sides of the road were crowded with people. In addition to the people watching the excitement, there were even more military and official family members seeing them off.

Li Jixun, the commander of the First Army of the Palace Front Division, walked at the front carrying a big flag, followed by Chai Rong, who was riding a white horse and wearing an ocher-yellow cloak. He was neither happy nor angry and looked indifferent, as if he was just doing something.

A very ordinary little thing.

The team crossed the Imperial Street and crossed the Zhouqiao, not far from the city gate. A group of people wearing sackcloth and mourning on the roadside were very eye-catching. Chai Rong reined in his horse and stopped slowly. He turned around and asked, "Wait, wait."

For whom do I wear mourning?"

A woman in the lead stepped forward and bowed down, "My wife is Xu Xian, a royal acquaintance in front of the palace, and the others are also the family members of the red scarf soldiers."

"Are you Xu Xian's wife? The court has not received news of Xu Xian's death, nor has it received news of the defeat of the Red Turbans. It is too early for you to pay tribute to them now."

Zhao Ningxiu cried: "Ming's wife is also from a military family. Even if the red scarf army evacuates, it is just a lone army. It will not face the 15,000 Tang troops, but all the Tang troops in Huainan. It is really difficult to survive."

."

She was in tears as she spoke, the young women behind her were also in tears, and several elderly women were wailing loudly.

Zhao Kuangyin dismounted and came to Zhao Ningxiu, "How can you be so ignorant? Your Majesty, your Majesty, is personally conducting the expedition. Don't let this affect the morale of the army."

Chai Rong said: "The mourning soldiers will win. How can it affect the morale of the army? I will never let down the soldiers who died fighting for the Zhou Dynasty. Therefore, it is my decree to posthumously make Xu Xian the captain of Qingche and the uncle of Dingyuan County.

The other soldiers who died in battle will be awarded posthumous titles by the Ministry of Rites and their pensions will be doubled."

Zhao Ningxiu kowtowed and thanked, "My wife is not here for any reward. I only hope that your majesty will be victorious and come to Jinling City to avenge her late husband!"

Chai Rong was about to speak when he heard a commotion in front of him. Zhang Yongde immediately shouted and asked: "What's going on with Li Jixun!"

Li Jixun came over with a horse and looked very strange, and said: "More than two thousand soldiers and horses have entered the city!"

Zhang Yongde yelled and scolded: "Whose soldiers and horses are not strictly controlled? Your Majesty should deal with their officers well!"

Li Jixun said: "It seems that there are subordinates commanded by Zhang among them!"

"Nonsense, all the people from the front office are here!"

"Commander Zhang, just take a look and you will know!" Li Jixun waved his hand, and the cavalry in the front row immediately moved out of the way, revealing a group of soldiers. Their faces were black and black, their bodies were dirty, and they looked listless.

, at first glance it looks like a defeated army that has been on the run for a long time.

Chai Rong looked at the two people in front, his eyes almost popped out of his head, "Xu Xian, Bai Yanyu, are you two?"

This group of soldiers was not Xu Xian and Bai Yanyu who had narrowly escaped death. They thought Li Gu had withdrawn to Kaifeng. After landing, they headed north and happened to return to Kaifeng on the day Chai Rong set off for the expedition.

The two of them walked side by side to Chai Rong to greet him. When Xu Xian stood up, he caught a glimpse of a plain white figure beside him and frowned and asked, "Who is dead in the family? Is it the mother-in-law?"

Zhao Ningxiu was startled, rolled her eyes and fainted. Zhao Kuangyin hurriedly helped her up and handed her to the woman beside her, "Why don't you wear sackcloth and show mourning for you!"

Xu Xian spread his hands helplessly, "I am not living well!"

Chai Rong laughed: "It's good to be alive. I thought you were dead because I just gave you a posthumous seal."

Zhang Yongde said: "Now you got a big bargain!"

Bai Yanyu said: "Commander Zhang's words are wrong. Xu Dianzhi and I have made great achievements in Huainan, and we don't want His Majesty's reward to go in vain."

As he spoke, he took out a blood-stained cloth bundle from his waist. When he opened it, he saw a human head pickled with lime. "This is the head of Liu Yanzhen, who was deployed in the northern camp of the Tang Dynasty!"

"Liu Yanzhen? Isn't he the head coach of the Tang Army who besieged you?"

"Exactly! I killed him and cut off his head just to present it to His Majesty!"

Xu Xian said displeased: "Bai Yanyu, you are so unkind. You didn't kill Liu Yanzhen. He was shot to death by me. My arrows are faster than your guns!"

Bai Yanyu immediately retorted: "You shot an arrow first but missed the vital point. It was my shot that stuck in his heart and he died!"

"That's enough!" Zhang Yongde interrupted the two of them, "You two left the front line without authorization and defrauded the king. Your majesty has not yet investigated, but you are still fighting over your fictitious achievements. You are really shameless."

Bai Yanyu said angrily: "Commander Zhang, you must not wrongly accuse people in front of His Majesty. This is really Liu Yanzhen's head!"

Xu Xian advised: "Forget it, the news that the Tang army was defeated and the coach was killed will come back sooner or later, so why bother to gain momentum."

Not only Zhang Yongde didn't believe it, but no one in the government or military offices he contacted along the way believed it either. They just thought it was a group of deserters bragging indiscriminately to put money on their faces.

Zhao Kuangyin asked: "So you three thousand people defeated the Tang army of fifteen thousand? Impossible. Although the Tang army is inferior in combat power, it is not weak."

"They don't believe it, but I believe it! I will accept Liu Yanzhen's head!" Chai Rong smiled and got off the horse, stretched out his hand to help the two of them up, "The two beloved ladies will rest in Beijing for half a month, and then come to Huainan to pursue me."

"Your Majesty, are you ready to conquer Huainan yourself?"

"No!" Old Mutou picked up the human head on the ground, held it in his arms and patted it, "Three thousand to fifteen thousand is nothing unusual. I just don't believe you two can do it."

As soon as he finished speaking, several more fast horses rushed over from the city gate. Li Jixun quickly led people to stop them, checked the people's badges, and brought one of them to Chai Rong.

The soldier held a memorial in front of Chai Rong. Chai Rong took it, glanced at it, and laughed. After a long time, he stopped and said to everyone: "This is an urgent report from Li Gu. According to the details he arranged,

It was found out that the reinforcements of the Tang State were defeated fifty miles east of Shouzhou City, their commander Liu Yanzhen was killed, and his head was missing!"

For Chai Rong, this was the best thing Li Gun had ever done since his expedition to the south. Receiving such a good news on the day when he was leading the expedition in person was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the army of the southern expedition.

Chai Rong left with great ambition, while Xu Xian stayed to repair. All the horses, swords and guns in the Red Scarf Capital were lost, and they would not be able to go into battle unless they were ready again. Zhao Ningxiu, who had woken up when he returned home, said nothing

He pushed him onto the bed, lay on his chest and cried non-stop, soaking his clothes.

At this moment, Xu Xian felt an indescribable satisfaction in his heart. He gently stroked Zhao Ningxiu's back, "Stop crying. Let's do something serious if we have that time."

Zhao Ningxiu wiped the tears from her face in his arms, "What's the business?"

"Hey... what are you talking about?" Xu Xian said and held her under him, but Zhao Ningxiu seemed to be an annoyed cat and scratched him several times, "You can't touch me, I'm pregnant!

"

When Xu Xian heard this, his face turned pale, and he pointed at Zhao Ningxiu with a trembling hand: "You...you actually cuckolded me!"

"What cuckold?"

"You don't follow the rules of women. I left home for more than three months and you came here pregnant!"
To be continued...