Zhongli City is located on a sandbank in the middle of the river, and is divided into two parts: the inner and outer cities. The outer city includes the river bridge, and Heyang Pass is set up at the river bridge to supervise the passage of people on the river bridge.
"Stop anyone who comes!"
When Xue Guyan and his entourage rode their horses to Heyang Pass, guards came in to stop them and prepared to interrogate them.
Xue Guyan and his party were already exhausted from running away at night. When they were scolded by the guard again, their anger was suddenly aroused. One of the soldiers directly swung his riding whip at the guard and cursed angrily.
: "The thief Qiu Ba, you are blind! Don't you recognize my master, Duke Qin Qin?"
The soldier may not really know Xue Guyan, but the commander of the Guancheng army here is not so blind. He hurriedly stepped forward to apologize and asked boldly: "Ping Qin Gong should be in Zhennan City. I don't know where he is."
Under what military order do we need to go north?"
The river bridge is an important passage connecting the north and the south. The entire country is at a very delicate juncture right now, so the prevention and control measures must be more stringent than usual. Basically, without the support of General Hu Lujin of Heyang and Pan Le, the defender of Zhongli City
According to the warrant, even a general like Xue Guyan is not allowed to walk around at will, so the guard commander asked this question.
"Where are I going to sue you, this thief slave? Get out of here!"
Xue Guyan was furious at the moment. Even ordinary questions were regarded as making things difficult for him. He immediately kicked the soldier commander to the ground with a glare, and then went straight to the front pass.
, after forcing his way through the border, he did not forget to give instructions: "The gangsters are roaming south of the bridge. Anyone who dares to climb the bridge and break through the border will be killed without mercy!"
He was ashamed to tell this soldier that he had been beaten by the Western Army and was completely defeated. The most important thing now was to go to the Beicheng Camp to plead guilty to the general Hu Lujin and ask for troops, and to return to Henan as soon as possible to take revenge.
Xue Guyan and his entourage rushed through the pass, but the guard commander did not dare to neglect it. If the Shangguan really pursued it, the guards on duty might have to be severely punished. The more they thought about it, the more frightened they became, so they hurriedly
Go to the inner city to report the matter.
Pan Le, the guard general of Zhongli City, used to rebel against Ge Rong in Hebei Province. He was granted the title of King of Jingzhao. After returning to Erzhu Rong, he was recruited by Gao Huan as the general of the town. Since then, he has been following Gao Huan, talking about his qualifications and merits.
He was deeper than Xue Guyan, and he was both wise and brave, so he was placed in an important position in Zhongli City by the commander-in-chief Hu Lujin.
Hearing the commander's report that Xue Guyan had broken through the pass, Pan Le immediately showed doubts on his face: "Xue Guyan led a crowd to attack the rebels in Guancheng a few days ago, why did he suddenly return to Heqiao? Could it be that the battle was disadvantageous?"
The three cities of Heyang are integrated into one. Pan Le naturally knew that Xue Guyan had sent troops to the west to fight the enemy, and he also ordered his troops to take on part of the river defense affairs in the southern city of Heyang while Xue Guyan was away from the city.
At this time, when he heard that Xue Guyan had returned in a hurry and rushed to the north bank of the Yellow River, Pan Le was filled with doubts. As for his breaking through, he had no time to take care of it for a while. So he arranged a few soldiers to walk along the river bridge.
He went south to investigate, and then sent his troops north to pursue Xue Guyan to inquire about the news. He himself went to the military camp and summoned a group of soldiers to stand by.
Several cavalrymen rode their horses down the river bridge. They looked around and saw nothing strange. Then they turned their horses' heads and headed towards the south city of Heyang. As they approached the city gate, they saw a robe-clad warrior under the city.
The apparently messy cavalry team was carrying Xue Guyan's flag and guard of honor, so he stepped forward and said: "Are you a soldier of Ping Qin Gong's army? How was the fighting going west this time? Why did you return in a hurry? Why did Ping Qin Gong rush in?
Going to Guanbei?"
This group of people was naturally He Ruoden, Gao Le and his party who had just arrived here. Hearing the questions from the soldiers coming from the south, He Ruoden immediately turned his eyes, pointed at the other party and cursed: "Victory and defeat are common things for soldiers, who can guarantee eternal life?"
Will you be victorious or not? I followed my lord to fight against the Western Army, but we had no choice but to retreat because the enemy was outnumbered. We were waiting to enter the city to reorganize our army and fight again. You guys dared to come south to mock me and seize the power of my lord to hold the city. You deserve to die.
, get it for me!"
"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm just..."
The soldiers didn't expect that just a few questions would cause He Ruoden to suddenly burst into rage. Before he could explain a few words, he was already surrounded and disarmed and captured his horse. While struggling, he yelled: "My lord, Jinmen Justice, is in Zhongtai."
If you act recklessly again in this city, you will not be spared!"
After hearing this, He Ruoden sneered twice, raised his knife and walked up to the man. He flipped the blade and cut off one of his ears, threw it to the ground and stamped on it a few times. Then he looked at the soldiers and said with hatred: "Someone
Even though we were defeated by the Western Army, we will never be able to humiliate you! I tell you, my lord, that Nancheng is guarded by my lord, Duke Qin. If your soldiers come to the south again to cause trouble, my lord will use all his troops to attack and kill you.
Everyone!"
While he was talking, he ordered the disarmed people to be driven towards the river bridge, and then turned to look at the top of the city with an anxious look on his face and said: "I don't want to lose my ears, nose, hands and feet like that thief, so quickly open the door and treat them."
Food!"
The more than 5,000 elite cavalry that Xue Guyan led to the west were already most of the troops he brought from Jinyang to guard this place. Those who stayed behind were mainly the soldiers between Hebei and Heluo.
The Xianbei soldiers had always looked down upon these Han soldiers. When the defenders at the city head saw that the flags were correct, and also saw He Ruodun's ruthless attitude of casually catching people to vent his anger, they naturally felt even more uneasy, fearing that they and others would also become the targets of the anger of these defeated soldiers.
, so he quickly opened the door and welcomed the disciples into the city.
After entering the city, the group of people did not go further inside. They ordered the people who were left behind in the city to come in to speak and quickly brought the food and wine. At the same time, they asked the garrison at the top of the city to withdraw and let them guard the city gate.
Under such shouts and threats, the guards actually surrendered the city gate obediently. Heyang South City is surrounded by water on three sides, and the south-facing city gate is the only access to and from the land. Once control changes hands, the city will be destroyed.
The few thousand remaining soldiers suddenly became turtles in the urn.
However, He Ruoden and others did not immediately take off their camouflage masks. Based on the information provided by the soldiers recruited during the previous pursuit, they summoned the remaining commanders in the city one by one and detained them, including the one with the highest official status in the city.
Linhuai Wang Yuan Xiaoyou.
When Yuan Xiaoyou was led into a warehouse next to the city gate, he looked at He Ruodun and Gao Le for a moment, and subconsciously wanted to withdraw. However, the soldier who had attracted him drew a knife and put it to his waist, and he froze on the spot.
Dare to act without permission.
"Both of you are not Xue Guyan's generals. I think you are the governor of the Western Army who fought with him. You are so bold and brave, you dare to sneak into the city! But the three cities of Heyang are closely related to each other. If there is a change in one city, reinforcements will arrive immediately.
This is definitely not a place where desperate men cheat for their merits. You entered the city without causing any killings, which shows that you still have benevolent thoughts. You should abandon this place immediately and leave. I will not expose you!"
Although he was already trapped in human hands, Yuan Xiaoyou still held on to his courage and said in a deep voice while looking at the two of them.
Hearing these words, the two of them looked at each other and smiled, and He Ruoden immediately stepped forward and clasped his fists at Yuan Xiaoyou and said: "The king is indeed beyond ordinary people, and his calm demeanor is admirable, but since a certain person has entered this place, he is by no means a rash follower.
A certain group of old servants, Duke Li Shijun of Xihe, rushed directly to the palace of Jinyang. No one from Bingzhou could stop him. Heyang is not a dangerous place today. Even if there are fish and turtles who come to rescue him, they can cook him in soup!"
"You, you are actually that thief from the Western Dynasty, General Li Tai..."
When Yuan Xiaoyou heard this, his face couldn't help but change. Li Tai's reputation was now very loud in the Eastern Wei Dynasty, because his previous actions had disgraced King Gao of Jinyang and Emperor Yedu.
When the two of them heard this, their expressions suddenly darkened. Gao Le stood up, drew a knife, put it on Yuan Xiaoyou's neck and said angrily: "I treat each other with courtesy, but I respect the king's blood rather than his person. The thieves in the world treat each other with courtesy." No one who is known for being crazy and evil has ever congratulated Liuhun. All the actions of a certain group of people in Kansai are to revitalize the great unification! The king came to the people in his hometown but could not knock on the gate to offer sacrifices and welcome the king back. This is already a crime. Today If you still can't use this city to be generous and return to justice, what will you do if you don't die!"
"Mighty man, wait a minute, strong man... I, too, have always had a heart for righteousness, but I just couldn't find the right time! Whatever is needed from me, I will do my duty!"
Yuan Xiaoyou's previous calmness was also due to his status, but he did not really regard death as his own. When he saw Gao Le's murderous intention, he immediately showed his timidity and begged for mercy.
Just as the two of them were forcing Yuan Xiaoyou to cooperate in order to control the city, Pan Le's soldiers, whose ears had been cut off by He Ruodun before, also returned to Zhongli City.
After hearing this report, Pan Le felt furious in his heart. He stamped his feet and said angrily: "Xue Guyan has gone too far! This disciple dared to take out his anger on me after being defeated and humiliated, fearing that I would covet his power. How ridiculous! Come on! People, hurry to the south city and capture the thieves in the city!"
Naturally, Pan Le ignored He Ruodun's threats in the name of Xue Guyan, which only intensified his anger, and immediately ordered hundreds of soldiers to go south to regain face.
However, Xue Guyan's defeat also surprised him. He knew that Xue Guyan's five thousand elite cavalry were still outnumbered in this battle, so the number of thieves entering the Heluo area this time must be very considerable.
But these are just a few vague words from General Xue Guyan. Of course, we still need to ask Xue Guyan carefully about the specific enemy situation before we can lay out an offensive and defensive plan.
The military situation was so strong that Pan Le did not dare to neglect it. After thinking for a while, he ordered to expand the scale of the troops gathering, and he left the inner city and went to the north bank of the river to inquire and discuss the enemy's situation and countermeasures.