When Xie Xiao and Qin Yaoer arrived at Piao County, He Ruomuti's troops were only twenty or thirty miles away from Piao County.
He Ruomuti has probably never been so embarrassed in his life. He Ruoqiuti has completely cut off contact with them, and even no news from Gaoyu has been received for several days.
The road back to the east was blocked by the Xinting defenders and Jiang Yan. With his defeated troops of less than 20,000 men, it was unrealistic to head west to confront Dasheng's troops head-on.
Their only choice was to go south and ask for help from the Cao family. This choice made He Ruomuti look very ugly, and there was also an inexplicable uneasiness lingering in his heart.
But other than that, they have no other choice.
"Princess, why don't we go kill that person?" Qin Yao'er put her arms around Luo Junyao's shoulders, half coquettishly, half crookedly.
Luo Junyao laughed and said, "I don't have Mr. Qu's ability to be able to take the rank of general among thousands of armies."
Qin Yaoer said generously: "We'll poison him! Princess, whatever medicine you want, I'll give it to you!"
"Is there any medicine that can poison 20,000 people at once?" Luo Junyao asked.
Qin Yao'er's face froze for a moment, and she coughed slightly and said, "Um, how about we discuss it in the long term?"
It's not that there really is no such medicine, but the properties of this medicine are destined to poison 20,000 people, and it may also poison 40,000 people. Moreover, the consequences are quite troublesome, and it is absolutely impossible to be healthy and leave no residue.
If something unexpected happened, such as a large number of innocent people suffered, or a plague was caused, the land and water sources were polluted, etc., would the regent still pull out her skin?
Seeing her like this, Luo Junyao couldn't help but laugh.
Qin Yaoer talks about being tough, but in fact he is still very measured.
"Why did He Ruomudi provoke you?" Luo Junyao asked curiously.
Qin Yao'er snorted lightly, turned away and refused to speak.
Xie Xiao, who was standing next to him, had no choice but to recount what happened to the two of them these days. Luo Junyao and Gu Jue couldn't help but laugh secretly in their hearts.
It can't be said that these two people were at fault. After all, seeing those Gao Yu soldiers bullying the people of Dasheng, it would be strange not to take action.
But in this case, it seems natural to be chased away by others.
"Okay, don't be angry, I will avenge you in the next few days." Luo Junyao poked Qin Yaoer's cheek and said with a smile.
Qin Yaoer was always easy to coax, so she immediately became happy.
"real?"
"Of course." Luo Jun shook his head and said.
Xie Xiao looked at the two of them and asked, "What plans do the princess and General Gu have?"
Luo Junyao said: "I do have some plans. Prince Xie is here just in time."
Xie Xiao cupped his hands and said seriously: "Princess, please give me your instructions."
On this day, several mysterious guests appeared among the Qingzhou rebels.
The guards led the guests to Cao Jie's tent. Cao Jie was not surprised when he saw the visitor, and said calmly: "Prince He Ruo, nice to meet you."
The visitor took off the bamboo hat on his head, revealing a young and handsome face. It was none other than He Ruomuti, the eldest prince of Gaoyu.
He Ruomuti looked at the equally young Cao Jie in front of him, nodded slightly and said, "Mr. Cao, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Cao Jie raised his eyebrows, "Prince He Ruo speaks Zhongyuan very well, and you can't tell the accent at all."
He Ruomuti said calmly: "Master Cao is so complimentary."
Cao Jie smiled, turned sideways and asked him to sit down.
The two of them sat down respectively. Cao Jiecai looked at He Ruomu with a smile and said, "I have already heard about Prince He Ruo's construction of the mausoleum. Victory or defeat is a common matter for military officers, and the prince does not need to take it to heart."
He Ruomuti didn't show it on his face, but he sneered in his heart.
If that's really the case, why would you bring it up on purpose? It's obviously just to mock him on purpose.
However... when it comes to performance, both sides are only evenly matched, so no one can make fun of the other.
"I wonder how your army's war in the southwest and northwest of Qingzhou is going?" He Ruomuti asked calmly.
The smile on Cao Jie's face indeed faded a bit. If the battle in Qingzhou went well, why would they go north?
But now it seems that going north is the right thing to do. Gao Yu's soldiers are so useless. If they don't occupy Yannan as soon as possible, won't they be surrounded by the imperial troops on three sides?
Gaoyu's iron cavalry soldiers were famous among all the tribes outside the Pass, but now it seems that they are nothing more than that.
When Cao Jie thought this, his face inevitably showed some emotion.
The atmosphere in the big tent became more and more solemn.
Fortunately, the two of them had no intention of falling out, and soon Cao Jie smiled again and said: "Gaoyu Tiejie soldiers have been famous for a long time, and now Prince Heruo and General Jamuka have joined us, as well as our Qingzhou army of hundreds of thousands.
Gu Jue, Jiang Yan and his ilk are probably nothing to worry about."
He Ruomuti didn't want to get into a stalemate with him, so he naturally took advantage of the situation and said, "Young Master Cao is so complimentary. Xiao Wang and General Jamuka will definitely give their best to help Mr. Cao."
Cao Jie said with a smile: "With Prince Heruo's words, I can rest assured."
He Ruomuti frowned and said: "Gu Jue and Jiang Yan are indeed not worth mentioning, but after delaying these days, I am afraid that the reinforcements from the Dasheng court have arrived in Yanzhou. Xie Yan is now 90% in Yanzhou, but
The unknown whereabouts are really a big hidden danger. Mr. Cao, are you sure that your hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses are enough to resist it?"
Cao Jie said: "To be honest with Brother He Ruo, I really have no confidence that the Cao family can compete with Xie Yan alone. However, we are not the only ones making trouble now, aren't we?"
"Oh?" He Ruomuti raised his eyebrows and said, "In addition to me, Gaoyu, the Cao family has also contacted Southern Xinjiang? Or is it the Qi tribe?"
Cao Jie smiled but said nothing.
He Ruomudi narrowed his eyes slightly and said: "Since Mr. Cao is full of confidence, I, Gao Yu, am not stingy either. I have already sent a message to my father. Gao Yu can dispatch another 100,000 elite troops to enter the pass to help the Cao family win the great prosperity."
Tianxia. As for the conditions, they are still the same as previously agreed with Marquis Yueyang, and Yanzhou will be transferred to Gaoyu afterwards."
Cao Jie did not refute, but looked at He Ruomuti with some suspicion, "Prince He Ruo, are you sure that King Gaoyu will be willing to send more troops to the pass?"
Gao Yu suddenly launched an attack this time, but the effect was not as expected.
Needless to say, He Ruomuti won first and then lost, and now it's a mess. Liangzhou's side encountered fierce resistance from the beginning, and is now in a stalemate with the Zhenguo Army and Luo Jinxing.
He Ruomuti smiled and said: "Now that we have taken action, do we still expect to reconcile with Xie Yan?"
Cao Jie narrowed his eyes slightly, nodded and smiled: "What Prince He Ruo said is true, then I'll just wait for the good news."
"I heard that Sun Liang's troops from the former Yanzhou Army were stationed in nearby Piao County?" He Ruomuti said suddenly.
Cao Jie was startled, then quickly smiled and said: "Yes, I know that the prince and General Sun may have been unhappy before. But General Sun has surrendered to the Cao family. He has 50,000 soldiers and horses under his command. If you see him then, please invite the prince
Able to focus on the overall situation.”
He Ruomu asked: "Fifty thousand soldiers and horses? I remember that when Sun Liang led his people to leave, he had less than 20,000 soldiers and horses."
Cao Jie couldn't help laughing when he heard this and said: "What's the point? Dasheng doesn't have much, but it has the most people. Not to mention fifty thousand, even if you want half a million soldiers and horses, it's not necessarily impossible to get it."
It is easy to find people, but it is not easy to find good soldiers.
Cao Jie naturally knew the difference, but he didn't mind.
"Really?" He Ruomuti said lightly, his handsome face slightly drooped, not knowing what he was thinking.
Cao Jie advised: "In any case, our enemy is still the imperial court, so we might as well put other matters aside first. Prince He, don't worry, I will also explain to Sun Liang that he will not be allowed to offend the prince."
He Ruomuti nodded slightly and said, "Since Mr. Cao said so, Xiao Wang will naturally give you this face."
"Thank you very much." Cao Jie said with a satisfied smile.
He Ruomuti came out of the Cao family's army, and his expression immediately turned gloomy. She Sai, who was waiting outside the camp, came up to meet him. Seeing him like this, he quickly asked: "Prince, the Cao family does not agree with our conditions?"
He Ruomuti waved his hand to signal him not to speak. The group got on their horses and rode for a while. He Ruomuti then asked: "What's the news about the investigation sent to Piao County?"
She Sai said: "The news just came back that those stationed in Piao County are indeed Sun Liang's troops, with about 50,000 people."
He Ruomuti frowned and said, "Is there any doubt?"
She Sai asked in confusion: "What does the prince mean?"
He Ruomu said: "We were entangled by Jiang Yan a few days ago and couldn't take care of him for a while. Tell me, where has Gu Jue been these days?"
She Sai was stunned. He really hadn't considered this issue.
They wanted to return to Chixia Pass before, but Jiang Yan took advantage of the terrain to ambush them, which made them quite embarrassed.
Jiang Yan refused to give up and followed them all the way, making it clear that he wanted to force them away from the direction of Chixia Pass.
In the beginning, there would be harassment from time to time by Gu Jue's subordinates, but these days, it is really only Jiang Yan's subordinates along the way, and no sign of Gu Jue at all.
"Have you returned to Jianling to rest? After all, Gu Jue's men have come all the way from the south, and they may not be able to adapt for a while."
He Ruomuti shook his head silently, thought for a moment and said, "Go to Piao County and have a look."
"The eldest prince, think twice." She Sai quickly advised, and quickly responded: "The eldest prince is suspicious. The troops stationed in Piao County belong to... Gu Jue? How dare they be so bold? The Cao family is
There are hundreds of thousands of troops, how many are there?"
He Ruomu said: "It's hard to say, I always have some bad feelings."
"Why don't I take someone to investigate?" She Sai said.
He Ruomu said: "I can't rest assured until I go and see it myself."
Seeing his resolute expression, She Sai also knew that he could not persuade him, so he had no choice but to accept it.
The group of people jerked the horse's buttocks, and the horse neighed, let go of its legs and feet, and galloped forward.
A few horses galloped wildly on the road in the north, the horses' hooves splashing dust, and the wilderness seemed so quiet that there was only the sound of horse hooves and the voice of the person driving the horse.
When passing through a canyon, Heruomuti suddenly reined in the reins.
"Back up!" The horse stopped suddenly, neighed and stood up.
Heruomuti was an excellent horseman, but even so he still sat firmly on the horse and tightened the reins in his hands.
There were several loud bangs, and several boulders rolled down from the nearby cliff. The people who rushed at the front before they could stop in time were hit by the falling boulders. Both men and horses died.
"Protect the eldest prince!" She Sai was shocked and shouted sharply.
The others quickly approached Heruomuti and looked ahead warily.
"This place is not good for us, rush out!" He Ruomuti said in a deep voice.
Before he finished speaking, several boulders rolled down in front of him, cutting off the road ahead.
Heruomuti turned around and looked behind him. There was obviously a figure floating at the entrance of the canyon behind him.
He Ruomuti gritted his teeth and said to the people around him: "Abandon the horse! Fight out!"
The group of people are all warriors of Gaoyu. Their fighting skills are not weak, and their courage after having experienced hundreds of battles is extraordinary. Even if they encounter this situation, they are not afraid. After hearing He Ruomuti's words, they gave up without saying a word.
The horses, protecting He Ruomuti, rushed toward the valley entrance ahead.
A whistle came from the cliff, and a burst of arrows shot down from both sides.
Heruomuti waved his sword to block the arrows that were shot at him, and rushed forward.
The guards fell around him one by one, but he didn't dare to stop at all. He knew that now was not the time to waste time. As long as they stopped, they might never get out of this place again.
This canyon is not too long, but in a short time He Ruomuti has reached the mouth of the canyon, and there are only two people left behind him.
He Ruomuti looked solemn, gritted his teeth and pushed away the arrows in front of him, stepping out of the valley mouth first.
"Gu Jue!" Oncoming was Gu Jue, who was wearing only an ordinary piece of cloth. Compared with Prince He Ruo's embarrassment, Gu Jue's leisurely style was a bit too much.
He Ruomuti's eyes only stayed on Gu Jue for a moment, and then quickly turned to the girl next to Gu Jue.
"Princess Regent, you are well." He Ruomu said.
Luo Junyao raised his eyebrows slightly and said with a smile: "It seems that there are always people telling me that you are fine, but it is usually me who is fine, and they are very fine."
Heruomuti choked, looked at the hundreds of feather arrows facing him, and said with a wry smile: "The two of you are so big, Xiao Wang is really flattered."
Gu Jue laughed and said: "The eldest prince is joking. Compared with the tens of thousands of elite soldiers of the eldest prince, what are these few men and horses?"
Heruomuti remained silent, tore up the alliance and invaded Dasheng. After all, they were at fault.
If you win, everything will be easy to say, but now if you lose, it will be a joke.
Luo Junyao said: "My eldest prince, I advise you not to act rashly. These arrows are poisonous. Let alone hit you, even if they scratch your skin, it will not be good."
He Ruomuti smiled bitterly and said: "If I fall into the hands of the two of you, my skills are inferior to others. Princess, what do you want?"
"I want your life."
He Ruomute shook his head and said: "If the princess really wanted my life, the little king should have died in the canyon just now. Since the princess let me out, there must be some discussions."
Luo Jun shook his head, looked at He Ruomuti and said with a smile, "Will Prince He Ruo cooperate?"
"No one wants to die if they can live, and the same applies to me." He Ruomu mentioned.
Luo Jun shook his head and said sideways: "Then please, I would like to invite Prince He Ruo to have a cup of tea."
She Sai and the remaining guards stepped forward and stood in front of He Ruomuti. He Ruomuti shook his head and said, "You guys stand down."
"The eldest prince..."
"It doesn't matter." He Ruomu said: "If the regent princess wants to kill us, just let people shoot arrows."
She Sai glanced at Luo Junyao opposite him, and then silently stepped away.
