Ma Wu and Yao Qi were threatened by Gongsun Shu and were forced to move to Nanyang. As a result, they happened to encounter Liu Xiu trapped in Chaoyang City.
The two of them led more than a thousand cavalry under their command to rush to Chaoyang. Not only did they relieve Liu Xiu and others from being trapped, they also took the opportunity to merge the Chaoyang County soldiers and Shandu County soldiers who were trying to attack Chaoyang City into a fortress army.
, wiped out in one fell swoop.
Fu Chen, the military commander of the Hecheng Fortress Army, was beheaded by Ma Wu. Xie Sheng, the lieutenant of Chaoyang County, was killed by Yao Qi. Li Ying, the lieutenant of Shandu County, was shot dead by Fu Jun. Even Yi Zhen, the magistrate of Chaoyang County, was killed.
If you can escape this disaster, you will die in the chaos.
It is impossible to verify who actually killed Yi Zhen. When his body was found, it had been trampled to pieces by war horses.
Liu Xiu and others talked to each other and walked into the city happily. When they entered the city, the streets were empty, and not even a single person could be seen. For those who didn't know, you might have thought Chaoyang was an empty city!
Ma Wu asked curiously: "Lord, are there no common people in Chaoyang City?"
Liu Xiu smiled bitterly and said: "The fighting has been going on from yesterday to today. It is estimated that the people in the city are too scared to leave their homes."
The group of them entered the county government office, and everyone sat down in the atrium hall of the county government office.
Zang Gong bowed to Ma Wu and Yao Qi, cupped his hands and said, "I've always looked up to Ma Zizhang when I was in Xiajiang. It's a great honor for me to meet you today because of the reputation of Yao Ci Kuang!"
Although Ma Wu looks vicious, as if he has a vicious spirit, he is kind, forthright, and upright, but his temper is a little short-tempered.
He looked at Zang Gong, looked him up and down, returned the greeting, and asked, "Who is this brother?"
"I'm with the Green Forest Army in Xiaxiajiang, Zang Gong!"
"Oh, it turns out he is the brother of the Green Forest Army!"
Zang Gong smiled and said: "We are all in the green forest, and we are all our own people."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ma Wu immediately waved his hand and asked, "Brother Zang has surrendered to my lord?"
Hearing this, Zang Gong glanced at Liu Xiu subconsciously, shook his head and said, "I have not surrendered to General Liu..."
"In this case, how can we talk about our own people?!" Ma Wu looked displeased.
"Uh..." Zang Gong was confused by what Ma Wu said. Ma Wu and Yao Qi were both under the banner of the Green Forest Army, and Liu Xiu was a partial general of the Zhutiandu tribe and had nothing to do with the Green Forest Army.
So why did Ma Wu and Yao Qi become Liu Xiu's subordinates? How come they are not our own people when they are both members of the Green Forest Army?
Seeing Zang Gong's doubts, Yao Qi explained: "Zizhang and I were originally members of the Green Forest Army, and later we joined the lord's command. However, when the lord returned to Nanyang, Zizhang and I both stayed in Yizhou and continued to fight.
It’s just acting under the banner of the Green Forest Army.”
Zang Gong suddenly realized it and murmured: "That's it!"
Yao Qi asked with a smile: "Brother Zang won't blame us for borrowing the banner of the Green Forest Army, right?!"
"Where, where! There are not a hundred green forests in the world, but there must be dozens." There are countless insurrectionary armies in various places under the banner of Green Forest Army, and the banner of Green Forest does not belong to anyone.
Ma Wu took a sip of tea and asked angrily: "Brother Zang, who is the leader of the Green Forest Army in Xiajiang?"
"It's generals Wang Chang and Cheng Dan!"
"Wang Chang, Cheng Dan? I've never heard of it! Brother Zang, as the saying goes, a good bird perches on a broken tree. I think you might as well switch to my lord's command and become brothers with us in the future. What do you think?" Ma Ma
Wu Zheng asked cheerfully, seemingly casually.
Ma Wu was blatantly poaching Jiang Lulin's army, but no one present blamed Ma Wu. In the battle to defend the city, Zang Gong's performance was obvious to all. He was a rare warrior. If he could join the army, There is nothing better than being under the lord's command.
Zang Gong looked at Liu Xiu, then at everyone present, lowered his head, and did not speak immediately. In his eyes, Liu Xiu was a very good person, upright, and kind to his brothers. In addition, Liu Xiu's subordinates There are indeed many capable people, such as Deng Yu, Yan Guang, Feng Yi, Fu Jun, Zhu You, Gai Yan, etc., all of whom can stand alone. Now there are two more generals, Ma Wu and Yao Qi. Even more powerful.
If he could follow a lord like Liu Xiu, his future prospects would be bright. However, he really couldn't do it if he could privately abandon Wang Chang and Cheng Dan and switch to Liu Xiu without even saying hello.
Zang Gong pondered for a long time, raised his hand, bowed his hand and saluted Liu Xiu, and said: "General Liu, brothers, even if you have the heart to defect to the general, you must first return to Xiajiang to pay homage to General Wang and Cheng General, farewell."
Hearing this, Ma Wu put his hands on his hands and smiled, and praised: "Okay! Brother Zang is both sensible and affectionate. Based on this alone, I, Ma Zizhang, will make you my friend!"
Zang Gong smiled and said: "It is your great fortune to be friends with Brother Zi Zhang!"
In the past, Zang Gong only heard about Ma Wu's deeds, but today he saw it with his own eyes on the field. He felt that Ma Wu was worthy of the nickname of the God of Wuwen. He entered the enemy's formation single-handedly. It was like entering an uninhabited land. People blocking people killed people, and gods blocking the gods killed people. , unstoppable, like having the courage to be invincible by ten thousand people.
When their conversation came to an end, Liu Xiu smiled and introduced Deng Yu, Yan Guang, Zhu You, Fu Jun and others to Ma Wu and Yao Qi, and then introduced them to everyone. Soon , the soldiers below brought the prepared wine and dishes one by one, Liu Xiu and everyone exchanged cups and drank happily.
In the Battle of Chaoyang, Liu Xiu's troops won a complete victory, wiping out the Chaoyang County soldiers, Shandu County soldiers, and the Hecheng Fortress Army. In this way, they changed from a temporary occupation of Chaoyang City to a long-term occupation, and Chaoyang County Inside, there is no longer any resistance.
The most critical point is that with the destruction of the Shandu County soldiers and the Hecheng Fortress Army, Liu Xiu's troops can take this opportunity to advance westward, take Shandu County directly, and move Deng County's sphere of influence, Chaoyang's sphere of influence, and Shandu County The spheres of influence were connected together, establishing a solid base of their own in the southwest of Nanyang.
Liu Xiu expressed his thoughts and was immediately responded to by everyone present. Ma Wu said in a loud voice: "Don't say there are no county soldiers in Shandu County. Even if there are, they can't withstand the iron hoofs of our cavalry!"
Deng Yu cleared his throat and said, "My lord, I think you should inform the general in advance about the westward march!"
First, Liu Yan is the commander-in-chief of the entire army. To advance such a big thing in Shandu County, you cannot ignore Liu Yan, otherwise you will be caught by others, and if you ask Liu Yan to participate in Liu Xiu's book, a good thing will turn into a bad thing.
In addition, we still don't know the battle situation in Xinye and Huyang. Whether we should advance west to Shandu County or go north to reinforce Xinye, we have to follow Liu Yan's final decision.
Deng Yu's words made Liu Xiu, who was a little feverish, quickly calm down. He thought about it carefully, nodded and said, "Zhong Hua's words make sense! I will edit a letter for my elder brother later."
"This is very safe." Deng Yu said seriously.
Now Ma Wu and Yao Qi led their troops to Nanyang, and immediately defected to Liu Xiu's command. Even if they are brothers, the issue of military power is too sensitive.
With more than a thousand cavalry resources in his hands, in Deng Yu's view, Liu Xiu should keep a low profile at this time and guard against arrogance and impetuosity.
Liu Xiu was extremely smart and could tell the truth at once. Deng Yu just started talking and he understood what Deng Yu meant.
After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Ma Wu's face turned red after drinking. He suddenly remembered something and said with a smile: "My lord, I came here in a hurry and didn't bring any gifts. But when I arrived in Chaoyang, I found some for my lord."
A treasure!"
Liu Xiu smiled and asked, "What treasure is Zizhang talking about?"
Ma Wu smiled on his back, turned to look out the door, and waved to a soldier guarding the door. Not long after, the soldier led a black horse into the courtyard of the atrium. Ma Wu looked out.
He pointed and said with a smile: "Master, please look!"
Everyone was curious and looked out the door. When they saw the tall horse standing in the courtyard, their eyes lit up. Zang Gong subconsciously stood up, stretched his neck, and asked suspiciously while watching: "
This...can't this be Wu Zhui?"
"Haha! It's Wu Zhui!" Ma Wu said with a smile: "My lord, my subordinates seized this from the Shandu County captain, and I offer it to my lord here!"
Liu Xiu walked around the table and walked out quickly. The rest of the people also left the table and followed Liu Xiu into the courtyard.
People gathered around Wu Zui, watching and marveling.
This horse is not only strong and tall, but also really beautiful in appearance. It is all black and shiny, like brocade. Even if you get close and look carefully, you can't find a single hair.
The purebred Wu Zui is a well-known horse outside the customs, and its value is beyond comparison with money. Liu Xiu walked up to Wu Zui, caressed the mane on its neck, and couldn't put it down.
Zhu You scratched his hair and muttered: "Wuzui is an unlucky horse. It is not suitable for my lord to ride it! Why don't you give it to me..."
His words immediately drew dissatisfied eye rolls from everyone around him, and Ma Wu asked unconvincedly: "Zhongxian, why do you say that Wu Zui is an unlucky horse?"
Zhu Youli said confidently: "Of course I have evidence! What kind of horse was King Chu Ba's mount back then?"
Hearing this, everyone present was startled, including Ma Wu. They really hadn't thought about this problem.
Zhu You shook his head and said: "Back then, the overlord of Chu's horse was Wu Zui! Later, the king was forced by Emperor Gaozu to commit suicide on the banks of Wujiang River, and Wu Zui also jumped into the river to be buried. That's why I said this Wu Zui horse is an unknown horse.
What's more, its last owner is already dead, and if the master accepts it, I'm afraid... he will follow in his footsteps!"
Zhu You was probably the only one who dared to speak like this in front of Liu Xiu without being blamed by Liu Xiu.
After hearing what Zhu You said, everyone wanted to kick him. Zhu You continued: "But I'm not afraid. My lord can give this ominous horse to my subordinates, and I am willing to accept this ominous thing!"
"
Ma Wu's nose was almost crooked with anger. He had never seen such a thick-skinned person before! Liu Xiu also laughed angrily, rolled his eyes at Zhu You, and said: "If Wu Zui really wants to defeat the master, let him
It's okay for me. As for Zhongxian's kindness, I appreciate it."
"No, lord, I mean..."
"It's boring if you keep talking!" Liu Xiu glared at Zhu You angrily. He turned to Ma Wu and smiled: "Zizhang, I will accept this great gift."
If what Ma Wu sent was money, Liu Xiu might also like it very much, but he would never like Wu Zhui more than he did.
Ma Wu was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth and said excitedly: "My lord, the streets in the city are empty now and there are no pedestrians. Why don't you ride on Wu Zui and take a walk around the city!"
Liu Xiu clapped his hands and said to everyone present: "Everyone, get on your horses and patrol the city with me!"