Huo Du and Huo Jun sailed forward in their boats and arrived at Bailizhou in two days. At this time, the main fleets of Zhuge Liang and Gan Ning were still dozens of miles away, and it would take half a day to arrive.
Huo Du and Huo Jun were so eager to do their best that they landed on Bailizhou without waiting for Zhuge Liang and Gan Ning to join them. They rushed all the way to the city walls. Liu Jingjun suddenly descended from the sky with magical troops, leaving Zhijiang completely defenseless, with the Huo family as an internal agent.
, captured Zhijiang County without any bloodshed.
The magistrate of Zhijiang County is a descendant of the Liao family in Zhonglu. His clan has been the Miannan Guan clan for generations. He himself was favored by Liu Biao. Although he was unable to resist Liu Jingjun, he was unwilling to surrender, so he abandoned his seal and left. The magistrate of Zhijiang County became an official.
He was honest, had good governance, and was loved by both scholars and people. Huo Du and Huo Jun did not dare to stop him and allowed him to leave with his family.
In the evening, the main fleet led by Zhuge Liang and Gan Ning finally arrived at Bailizhou.
Huo Du, Huo Jun's elder brother, and Tingbu Huorui led the officials and people of Zhijiang to welcome him at the ferry.
Zhuge Liang read out the "Essay against Liu Biao" in public, expressing his justice in sending troops and praising Huo Rui and others for their defiance and obedience.
This time, Huo Rui had made great contributions to the occupation of Zhijiang without bloodshed. Naturally, he could not just dismiss it easily and make the other party feel cold. In addition to letting him temporarily take charge of Zhijiang County affairs, Zhuge Liang would also ask Liu Jing for credit for him. Based on his achievements,
Although it is difficult to achieve the position of Bailihou, county magistrate can be expected.
Huo Rui was overjoyed and thanked him profusely. With his background, it was not easy to move from a civil servant to an official. The betrayal of his brothers Huo Du and Huo Jun almost blocked his way to the top. For this reason,
, he had some complaints in his heart, but he didn't want to be a blessing in disguise. He knew it was not a blessing, but now he was able to enter the official career because of these two people.
Seeing that the sky was gradually getting darker, Zhuge Liang said no more and followed Zhijiang officials and people into the city, while Gan Ning and his soldiers spent the night on the boat.
The next day, Zhuge Liang left 500 men to guard Bailizhou, and then led the fleet to continue westward.
…………
Yidao is named after the Yishui River in its territory. The county seat is located on the south bank of the river, pillowed on the north by the river, and opposite Yiling.
It was late March, and spring plowing had entered its final moments. Li Yan, the magistrate of Yidao County, would inspect the fields with his subordinates almost every day to persuade and supervise agricultural work.
Li Yan is only twenty-five years old this year, and he is already a respected figure. He can be said to be promising at a young age.
He is from Nanyang County and was a county official when he was young. He is well-known for his talents. He is proud of himself, uses his temperament deeply, and strives to benefit himself. Therefore, the local proverb says: "It is difficult to fight with Li Linjia." This means that his temperament is severe, like that of an animal.
Like scales, it is difficult to approach.
Liu Biao valued Li Yan's talent very much. He had previously appointed him to serve in various counties, and last year he directly promoted him to the position of magistrate of Yidao County. At that time, he had just turned twenty-four and was the youngest Bailihou under Liu Biao's rule.
one.
That day, Li Yan crossed the river to the north bank and patrolled to the foot of Nuguan Mountain. Suddenly he heard someone shouting loudly on the mountain. When Li Yan listened carefully, his expression suddenly changed. When he climbed to the top of Nuguan Mountain out of breath, he saw with his own eyes the east
On the river, a huge fleet came in succession with flags, and they couldn't help but take a breath of air.
Li Yan had only received the news a few days ago that Liu Jingjun had invaded Nanjun and besieged Jiangling. He thought that Liu Jingjun's focus was on Jiangling and that it would not affect him for the time being. However, he guessed wrong. Liu Jingjun came to kill him so quickly.
"South, South bandits, it's the South bandit boat army..." Everyone on the left and right turned pale with fright, and some even grabbed Li Yan's sleeves and urgently advised: "The South bandits are coming fiercely, and the safety of the entire county is at stake for the Ming Dynasty.
, it is not appropriate to stay outside at this time, please ask the Ming Dynasty to return to the city as soon as possible, it will be too late!"
Li Yan naturally knew this, so he immediately stopped staying and led all his officials down the mountain in a hurry, rushed to the ferry, and took a boat to cross south.
Li Yan's reaction was not unpleasant, but unfortunately it was a step too late. As soon as the ferry reached the center of the river, it was intercepted by several scout ships of Liu Jingjun.
Li Yan was tightly protected by his subordinates, but this did not bring him even a sense of security. Although Liu Jingjun's scout did not wear armor, he did have a heavy crossbow. Once the opponent launched an attack, he would be shot into a hedgehog in an instant.
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Li Yan's face was as dark as water, but the hand holding the sword was trembling slightly, proving that he was far from as calm as he appeared on the surface. No one could remain indifferent in the face of life and death.
Just when the two sides were at war, one of Li Yan's subordinates was so frightened that he suddenly dropped his sword and jumped into the river in an attempt to escape. However, he was shot dead by Liu Jingjun's scout's random arrows while he was still in mid-air.
Li Yan was startled, fearing that the other party would not be able to hold back and start killing, so he hurriedly said: "Stop! I am Li Yan, the Yi Taoist Priest. You have done a great job by capturing me. Don't hurt others." After saying this, she sheathed the sword.
, to show submission.
All the officials secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Li Yan refused to surrender, they would have no choice but to die. Who would want to die if they could live?
Liu Jingjun's scouts were all overjoyed when they heard this. They had been eyeing Li Yan and his party for a long time. They had no choice. The official robes they were wearing were so eye-catching that it was difficult not to notice them. However, they did not expect that the Yidao County Magistrate was among them, just like Li Yan.
Yan said, this is a great achievement.
Li Yan surrendered voluntarily and was a respected figure in the county. Scout Liu Jingjun did not tie him up but only confiscated his sword.
Zhuge Liang and Gan Ning were discussing matters in the ship. Suddenly someone came to report that the scouts ahead had captured Li Yan, the magistrate of Yidao County. The two couldn't help but look at each other, speechless for a moment.
The original battle plan the two made was to skip Yidao and the inland Yishan Mountain, go straight to Yiling, and defeat the whole world in one battle. However, the plan failed to keep up with the changes. Who would have thought that the Yidao County Magistrate would come to his doorstep himself?
.
Gan Ning said: "This Li Yan, I had a relationship with him when I was in Nanyang. He lives up to his name, is strict and talented, and is a hero among the young generation in Nanyang."
Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "I have also heard of Li Yan's name." Li Yan was highly regarded by Liu Biao, so naturally he had heard of him.
Soon, Li Yan was brought into the palace and saw two people sitting in the room. One was in his early twenties, wearing a Ge scarf, a plain robe, and holding a folding fan. They were very handsome and looked at him with a smile; the other was in his thirties.
He was more than 10 years old, wearing a military uniform and military uniform, with a rough face and extraordinary momentum.
Li Yan recognized the latter at a glance. It was Gan Ning, Gan Xingba, the Shu general who had stayed in his hometown of Nanyang for six years. Although the two did not have a close relationship, they had met several times.
Zhuge Liang folded his folding fan and stood up and said: "He is a talented person from Chu. I heard about Han Mi. When I was studying in Xiangyang, I often heard about his high reputation. I am here at Langya. Zhuge Liang, whose courtesy name is Kong Ming, is now the military advisor of General Anyuan. This is Zhenwei."
Zhonglang Jiang Gan Ning Gan Xingba, I am an old acquaintance of him, so I will not introduce him further."
Li Yan calmly returned the greeting and said, "I'm here with Li Yan in Nanyang. I've met him before." Then he greeted Gan Ning again.