On the seventh day of the sixth lunar month in the fourth year of Chengyuan, there were densely packed military tents outside Xingyang City. Countless soldiers and generals were standing among them, and cavalry were galloping continuously. As they galloped, they saw soldiers and horses coming from a distance, blocking out the sky and the sun.
.
Xingyang City is in front, with the flag of Ankang Mountain hanging on the city gate. Next to it is the corpse of the prefect of Xingyang City. The city gate is wide open, and the city seems empty and dead. However, Ankang Mountain has not entered the city and is sitting in the main tent.
Cry loudly.
Of course he was not grieving for the hanging corpse of the prefect and this dead city.
"I deserve death." Ankangshan's tears kept pouring out, wetting his beard and brocade robe, and he beat his chest heavily with his hands, "I was still a step too late, and His Majesty was poisoned."
There were more than a dozen generals kneeling on both sides of the camp. They cried loudly and beat their chests and feet: "It's us who are incompetent."
Both the master and the servant blamed each other. Under the persuasion of the two civilian officials who accompanied the army, Ankangshan stopped crying bitterly. The strong servants brought a gold shallow basin and silk scarf to Ankangshan to cleanse his face.
There were no more cries in the tent, and the atmosphere was quiet and stagnant, especially when Ankang Shan looked towards the center. The large tent seemed a bit crowded. In addition to the standing generals, there were also a bunch of corpses lying on the ground.
These corpses were generals who had recently died in battle. Their positions ranged from high to low, and some were familiar and some were unfamiliar. Ankangshan's eyes stopped on Sun Zhe.
"White robe army?" Ankangshan said, standing up and walking over.
"They are composed of stragglers from Huazhou. They wear white robes on top of their Daxia military uniforms and call themselves the White Robe Army." A general bowed his head and said, "The leader is Xiang Clan of Taiyuan Prefecture, Xiang Nan.
"
The world is so big and Taiyuan Prefecture is so small. Lest Ankangshan not know who Xiang is, another general quickly added: "Li Fengan's son-in-law, and Xiang Yun's nephew among Li Fengan's eight generals."
Ankangshan groaned and remembered: "The boy who escaped when he killed Cui Zheng's people that day."
Yes, at that time I thought this boy was not a big deal on his own, but I didn’t expect that he would pull up a military horse in just a short period of time.
"Li Fengan's vision is pretty good." Ankangshan praised, looking down at Sun Zhe's body.
Sun Zhe's body was hung in the city for a few days by Xiang Nan. Fan Yang's army snatched it back and transported it here. In the summer, the horrible smell of the rotting corpse was nauseating.
Ankangshan didn't cover his nose and looked at the rotting corpse: "Are there two fatal injuries?"
"Xiang Nan used a gun." A general replied hurriedly, "Sun Zhe was shot in the abdomen and arrowed in the throat. The arrows were shot by the Zhenwu Army. At that time, Sun Zhe was attacked from both sides."
"Zhenwu Army." Ankangshan chewed these three words in his mouth.
Another general leaned over and half knelt: "Captain, the one who broke into Yizhou was the Zhenwu Army, so he fought with Sun Zhe who was stationed in Surabaya. And Tian Cheng also died in the hands of the Zhenwu Army. The leader of the army
She is Wu Yaer’s wife.”
It's the two of them again! Ankangshan pressed the silk scarf in his hand to his face, the tears he had stopped rolling down, and cried loudly again: "I deserve to die, but it's too late for His Highness Prince Zhao to die too."
They suffered a vicious attack."
The generals in the tent cried loudly together again, some beat the ground and some hit their heads on the ground, vying to take the blame. They were really crying, and they were crying about themselves and their uneasiness. Ankang Mountain treated the generals generously, and gave them free food, drink, entertainment and rewards.
, random looting on the march belongs to everyone, but it is also very cruel. Once asked about military law, it is not just you who will die, but your family and relatives will often be implicated.
Ankangshan is crying so hard now. I wonder if they will be able to cry again later. Let’s cry now while they can.
"Grand Governor, Your Majesty and King Zhao have been murdered one after another, we have to go to the capital as soon as possible." The civil servant standing aside persuaded again, soothing Ankangshan's grief with his soft words, "Cui Jie took Wu Ya'er and other thieves there. It’s Linzhou.”
Ankangshan's face was full of tears: "Your Majesty has been poisoned, what else should I do in Beijing? I want to chase those traitors!"
Another civil servant hurriedly said: "Grand Governor, there is still a prince in the capital. The Grand Governor cannot abandon the prince."
The previous civil servant also said: "Master Governor, only by entering the capital can we expose the crimes of these thieves to the world and avenge His Majesty for King Zhao."
The capital is where the Prince of Great Xia is, and standing there is the orthodoxy of Great Xia. Ankangshan took the silk scarf off his face and said: "Bring up camp and march to the capital."
The generals who were lying on the ground crying immediately stood up and responded loudly.
"However." A general hesitated and said, "There are some problems near Liangcheng."
The fastest and most appropriate way into Beijing is through Liangcheng.
"What's wrong with Liangcheng?"
"Isn't He Gan in Liangcheng?"
Other generals said one after another that they did not want to stay in the camp any longer, as Ankang Mountain's sadness could no longer be suppressed.
"He Gan is in Liangcheng, but the Zhenwu Army has also arrived. There is another admonishment official named Han Xu, who incites the surrounding soldiers and horses to obey the Zhenwu Army." The general said bravely according to the letter he received. Come on, don't talk about it now. When Ankang Mountain sees it himself, he will be dead. "They also threatened to wait for the arrival of the governor."
It's Zhenwu Army again.
"I originally thought that if Li Fengan didn't die, he would be my biggest trouble." Ankangshan said, "I didn't expect that after he died, another Zhenwu Army would appear."
He stretched out his hand to signal to the strong servants, and the two strong servants worked together to lift the Fangtian Halberd on the side.
"Then..." Ankangshan took the heavy halberd, "Go around and wait until I enter the capital to enshrine the orthodoxy, and the treacherous ministers and traitors will be punished by the whole world."
There is no need to fight with them now. When the situation is determined, whether it is the Zhenwu Army or the White Robe Army, it is difficult for the ants to resist the fate of the four seasons.
However, Ankang Shan dropped his heavy halberd on his side, causing the entire camp ground to tremble.
"His Majesty, King Zhao, died a tragic death." His voice was choked with sobs and he was about to shed tears again. "Let Xing Yang and other traitorous officials and people be buried with him."
.....
.....
Thick smoke in the distance seemed to break through the sky, and the ground shook for a long time.
On the high city, in the undulating valleys, and in the ruins of damaged villages, the lurking soldiers and horses stood solemnly, holding their swords and guns tightly and tensing their bodies.
But until the second day, no 100,000-strong army appeared.
"Master Han!" Standing on the hill, Han Xu watched two soldiers rushing over, "Ankang Mountain bypassed Liangcheng and headed towards the capital from the south."
Some officers and generals nearby didn't know whether to feel sad or happy, and they were even more hesitant about whether to immediately dispatch troops to pursue the attack.
Han Xu laughed: "He is afraid of us. Ankang Mountain is not fearless. Today he is afraid that we will go around him. When we meet on the battlefield tomorrow, we can make them run away in fear!"
Tomorrow? In other words, we won’t fight now?
"Doctor Han." A general hesitated, "We cannot let the thieves enter the capital. We will pursue them and stop them."
Han Xu looked at him and said, "After we catch up, can you stop them?"
There are hundreds of thousands of troops in Ankang Mountain. Now, including the Fengwei Army, Zhenwu Army and other skirmishers and martyrs, there are less than 10,000 people here. A few generals looked at each other, and of course they couldn't.
"We are not afraid, so I will donate my life to eliminate the thieves." A general said solemnly.
Han Xu smiled calmly: "Are you doing it knowing you can't do it? Don't be stupid, this kind of sacrifice is meaningless."
The generals looked at each other, not knowing and not daring to say anything.
Han Xu looked into the distance: "Your Majesty is no longer here, and chaos in the world is a foregone conclusion. At this time, this matter is not about fighting for the day, but about taking a long-term view. The real courage is not to dare to fight, but to dare not to retreat. There is no need to attack the stone with an egg.
What we have to do is to strengthen ourselves, gather the power of the world, and bring order to chaos."
The generals responded in unison, seeing that Han Xu's expression was different from before. He was in awe before, but now he was more convinced.
This nobleman of the court was different from what they imagined. He was brave and wise, like a bright light.
"Master Han." came a female voice.
The brave, wise and transparent Han Xu frowned slightly. This woman was always with him. He turned to look at the bottom of the hill. The woman came without an entourage, holding an umbrella.
She noticed Han Xu's gaze and raised the umbrella. Even though the black cloth covered her face, Han Xu seemed to be able to see his bright smile.
Han Xu sighed, the luxury in the capital had disappeared, but he was still inevitably obsessed with it.
Seeing the woman approaching, the generals on both sides stepped back respectfully.
Unlike generals in other places, Xuanwu Road and Huainan Road are close to each other, and the Zhenwu Army is very familiar with them.
So when the Zhenwu Army suddenly attacked during the melee that night, shouting at the Dou County Zhenwu Army to order non-thieves to be killed and non-thieves to retreat, they retreated and stopped attacking without much hesitation.
Moreover, they are more familiar with the Zhenwu Army in Dou County and Madam Wu than the Zhenwu Army in the capital.
The Zhenwu Army in Dou County did not come from Mobei, but Mrs. Wu recruited people to form an army in Dou County. The Zhenwu Army composed of these people repelled the rebels and rescued Guangzhou Prefecture, allowing Dezhong in western Zhejiang to fight.
The rebels stayed away.
Is it the Zhenwu Army who is more powerful, or is Mrs. Wu more powerful? They stepped back and looked at the woman quietly.
Li Minglou stood next to Han Xu.
"Master Han, Ankang Mountain bypassed Liangcheng and went to the capital." She said, "This is all the result of Master Han."
Han Xu shook his head: "Young madam, you are so complimentary."
"It's not ridiculous." Li Minglou said, "Because Lord Han is here, soldiers and horses can be gathered near Liangcheng. With everyone united, Ankang Mountain is afraid." He said a little sadly, "It also saves the people here from being poisoned."
Along with the news that Ankang Mountain's army had detoured, there were also casualties of officers, soldiers and civilians near Xingyang. The magistrate of Xingyang was killed after the city was lost. Ankang Mountain killed him at the city gate and lied to the soldiers and civilians who had surrendered.
The winner can live, and the soldiers and civilians can kill each other and watch for fun. In the end, thousands of arrows are fired, and the captured soldiers and civilians are burned.
About six to seven thousand people were killed.
The once prosperous Xingyang seemed like a hell on earth.
Han Xu was sad and angry: "The thieves in Ankang Mountain are really beasts."
Han Xu had not fully recovered from his serious injuries. He could barely stand for a moment. His body was shaking due to emotion. Li Minglou hurriedly reached out to help him: "My condolences, Mr. Han."
Han Xu flicked his sleeves and stepped back, avoiding Li Minglou's hand, and sat back on the chair, covering his mouth with his hand and coughing.
Li Minglou didn't care that he was pushed away, and followed him to stand in front of the chair: "The Ankang Mountain army took a detour. We can't stop it, but Liangcheng will still be recaptured."
Liangcheng was the seat of Xuanwu Dao's rule, and it was occupied by the imperial court. It was able to calm people's hearts and unite the scattered soldiers and horses of Xuanwu Dao.
"The Ankang Mountain army detoured, but left a lot of soldiers and horses for Hegan in Liangcheng." A general said next to him, and then he talked, how could Mrs. Wu not know this.
He was ashamed of his cowardice in front of this woman.
Li Minglou did not disdain his reminder and nodded: "Ankang Mountain is because he wants to go to Beijing and he has no intention of fighting with us, but the Xuanwu Dao rebels are still bound to win."
Han Xu lay on the chair, frowned slightly and asked: "How many soldiers and horses are there in Liangcheng?"
"About 14,000," another general said.
Han Xu nodded. He had many more soldiers and horses than theirs: "Although He Gan has many soldiers and horses, it is not easy to recapture Liangcheng, but it is not that easy for him to do anything to us. Take your time and the future will be long."
As soon as he finished speaking, the woman beside him said yes, yes, and then looked at him, or rather her eyes never left his side.
"With Mr. Han here, we won't have to worry about our troops," she praised.
Han Xu was sitting unsteadily on the chair. This woman was leaning against the chair, holding on to the handle, and was so close to a foreign man. Couldn't anyone stop her?
Han Xu looked at both sides. The generals were respectful and the soldiers were solemn.
"Young lady is so complimentary..." He was polite and distant.
Li Minglou shook his head: "It's not a ridiculous compliment."
She looked at the middle-aged man sitting on the chair in front of her. She had never seen or interacted with him in her previous life, and she thought he was an ordinary court official.
Unexpectedly, Han Xu turned out to be such a courageous and resourceful person. He could be as powerful as thunder and moisturize things as silently as the spring breeze and drizzle.
First of all, looking at Yingchen's soldiers and civilians' confidence in him, and then looking at Han Xu sitting on a chair and walking around the city, soldiers and horses, it can be said that he responded to every call.
It is a pity that such a person died in the conspiracy of a few petty officials and soldiers in his previous life, just like his father.
Fortunately, he survived this life.
You must let him live well. Such a person will change the fate of many people.
"With Lord Han here, Xuanwu Dao will be revived," Li Minglou said.
The black cloth covered his face tightly, but it could not block his hot gaze. Han Xu moved to the other side of the back of the chair. He did not want to discuss the topic of military martial arts, so he coughed lightly: "Mrs. Wu, you When will we return to General Wudu? The emperor's orders are on his side, so we cannot delay for too long."